OLYMPICS

Olympic Games 2012: Construction

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics whether the £95 million forwarded to the Olympic Delivery Authority in October 2008 from contingency funding related to construction of the Olympic Village was from  (a) the Olympic Delivery Authority programme,  (b) the Funders' Group and  (c) another contingency fund; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 23 October 2008
	£95 million to fund commencement of construction of the Olympic Village was originally allocated from Funders' Group contingency as an interim measure. The Funders' Group have now confirmed that up to £22 million that has already been spent will be funded from Funders' Group contingency with the balance being funded by the ODA until funding arrangements are further considered, expected to be early in the new year.

Olympic Games 2012: Flowers

Harry Cohen: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what consideration the organisers of the London 2012 Olympics have given to providing alternatives to cut flowers for presentation to medallists, competitors, VIPs and others during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tessa Jowell: In line with the sustainability plan published last year, 'Towards a One Planet 2012', the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) will seek to use natural materials and identify opportunities for using locally sourced plants where possible.
	Sustainability is a rapidly evolving field and alternatives will be considered nearer the time when there are likely to be more options available.
	Together with LOCOG and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) I am committed to making the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games as sustainable as possible.

Olympic Games 2012: KPMG

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Minister for the Olympics if she will publish the terms of reference given to KPMG in relation to its report on Olympic venues.

Tessa Jowell: KPMG was instructed by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) with input from the Government Olympic Executive and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to assist in the evaluation of the options analysis for:
	venue options for Basketball which would include the final round of the Handball Competition;
	review of the value engineering study conducted by the ODA in late 2007;
	the use of the Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich as the venue for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games Shooting competitions;
	the use of Greenwich for the Equestrian and Modern Pentathlon events during the Games;
	the use of Eton Manor as the possible venue for Wheelchair Tennis, Paralympic Archery and training pools;
	considerations stress value for money.
	The KPMG report is yet to be finalised and therefore plans for any part of its publication, including the specific terms of reference, are still to be determined.

WALES

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of those working in his Department are  (a) on a flexible working contract,  (b) on a job share employment contract and  (c) work from home for more than four hours a week.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office has the following staff working on flexible terms:
	(a) 82 per cent. work on a flexi-time basis
	(b) no staff work on a job share basis, but some are part-time (3.6 per cent.)
	(c) one member of staff (1.8 per cent.) has a formal arrangement to work more than four hours a week from home, and other staff members work on this basis on an ad hoc basis.

Departmental ICT

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many  (a) memory sticks,  (b) laptop computers,  (c) desktop computers,  (d) hard drives and  (e) mobile telephones were (i) lost by and (ii) stolen from his Department in each year since 1997.

Paul Murphy: Since the creation of the Wales Office in 1999 there have been no reported thefts or losses of memory sticks, laptop computers, desktop computers and hard drives, although there have been three reported losses of mobile phones, one in 2004, one in 2006 and one in 2007.

Departmental Official Residences

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 6W, on departmental official residences, what the cost of refurbishment of his London office was; and what the nature of the work undertaken was.

Paul Murphy: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson) on 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1W.

Departmental Security

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many security passes of staff in his Department were stolen in each year since 2001.

Paul Murphy: Since 2001 we have recorded a loss of three security passes, two in 2006 and one in 2008.
	These passes solely gain access to the Wales Office and are immediately removed from the internal database.

PRIME MINISTER

Official Hospitality

Pete Wishart: To ask the Prime Minister what Government expenditure on Ministerial hospitality was in the financial years  (a) 2004-05,  (b) 2005-06,  (c) 2006-07 and  (d) 2007-08, expressed in current prices.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement I made on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 108-10WS, and the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Cleethorpes (Shona McIsaac) on 25 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1108W. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor, the right hon. Tony Blair, on 11 October 2006,  Official Report, column 788W, and the answer given by my noble Friend the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 21 July 2005,  Official Report,  House  of Lords, column WA261.
	Expenditure on other ministerial hospitality is a matter for the relevant Department.

SCOTLAND

Airwave Service

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what organisations for which his Department is responsible  (a) use and  (b) are planning to use Airwave handsets.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office does not use Airwave technology and has no plans to do so.

Football: Racial Discrimination

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will hold discussions with the Scottish Executive on recent instances of anti-Irish racism at football matches involving Scottish clubs; and if he will make a statement.

Ann McKechin: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have had discussions with the Scottish Executive on a number of issues, however none specifically concerning anti-Irish racism at football matches involving Scottish clubs.
	Tackling such issues falls to the Scottish Football Association and Scottish football clubs, in conjunction with the police. Sport and policing are devolved matters.

Football: Terrorism

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has held discussions with the Scottish Executive on pro-terrorism chanting at football matches in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Ann McKechin: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have had discussions with the Scottish Executive on a number of issues, however none specifically concerning chanting at football matches in Scotland.
	Tackling such issues falls to the Scottish Football Association and Scottish football clubs, in conjunction with the police. Sport and policing are devolved matters.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Abortion Act 1968

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the Government's policy is on seeking to extend to Northern Ireland the provisions of the Abortion Act 1968.

Shaun Woodward: Successive Governments have consistently said that extending the Abortion Act 1967 to Northern Ireland would need the most careful consultation there and that no change to the current arrangements should be made against the wishes of the people in Northern Ireland.
	The Government believe that the best forum for taking decisions on this matter is the Northern Ireland Assembly once it has taken on responsibility for the criminal law.

Access NI

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applicants have raised a dispute with Access NI since 1 April 2008; and how many of these have been upheld.

Paul Goggins: While the statistics requested are not available, I can confirm that a number of registered bodies and applicants have queried the information provided on the Disclosure Certificate. In a small number of these cases the certificate has been amended as a result. Statistical information of the kind requested will in future be collated.

Access NI

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons have lodged complaints with Access NI about the standard of its service since 1 April 2008.

Paul Goggins: While the statistics requested are not available, I can confirm that a significant number of letters, e-mails and telephone calls have been received complaining about various aspects of the service. The majority of these are related to the current delays in returning certificates. Statistical information of the kind requested will in future be collated.

Airwave Service

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what organisations for which his Department is responsible  (a) use and  (b) are planning to use Airwave handsets.

Shaun Woodward: No organisation for which my Department is responsible use, or is planning to use Airwave handsets.

Bloody Sunday Tribunal of Inquiry

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the costs of the Saville Inquiry have been for each calendar month since February 2005, broken down by category of expenditure.

Paul Goggins: I am advised that the costs of the inquiry for each calendar month since February 2005 have been as follows:
	
		
			   NIO funding to the inquiry  MOD legal costs  Total 
			  2008-09
			 April 499,141 25,377 524,518 
			 May 332,889 11,454 344,343 
			 June 189,141 18,812 207,953 
			 July 375,454 21,150 396,604 
			 August 346,626 22,358 368,984 
			 September 406,974 27,884 434,858 
			 Total 2,150,225 127,035 2,277,260 
			 
			  2007-08
			 April 286,425 20,946 307,371 
			 May 325,249 25,896 351,145 
			 June 300,272 15,978 316,250 
			 July 940,194 27,058 967,252 
			 August 338,424 22,305 360,729 
			 September 507,882 17,983 525,865 
			 October 234,884 25,629 260,513 
			 November 462,529 22,189 484,718 
			 December 239,949 21,362 261,311 
			 January 453,054 25,255 478,309 
			 February 599,295 23,167 622,462 
			 March 365,839 22,194 388,033 
			 Total 5,053,994 269,962 5,323,956 
			  2006-07
			 April 351,827 22,192 374,019 
			 May 4,033,188 24,689 4,057,877 
			 June 706,742 26,602 733,344 
			 July 353,425 42,161 395,586 
			 August 954,094 18,323 972,417 
			 September 330,117 21,305 351,422 
			 October 219,749 29,300 249,049 
			 November 716,369 25,984 742,353 
			 December 576,040 27,861 603,901 
			 January 415,493 27,826 443,319 
			 February 360,675 20,670 381,345 
			 March 501,147 18,293 519,440 
			 Total 9,518,866 305,206 9,824,072 
			 
			  2005-06
			 April 551,126 38,093 589,219 
			 May 448,943 27,278 476,221 
			 June 665,401 60,196 725,597 
			 July 762,083 53,926 816,009 
			 August 1,201,478 27,437 1,228,915 
			 September 574,566 11,327 585,893 
			 October 662,000 30,054 692,054 
			 November 488,252 31,803 520,055 
			 December 455,719 47,323 503,042 
			 January 439,321 31,390 470,711 
			 February 456,188 36,448 492,636 
			 March 456,892 26,650 483,542 
			 Total 7,161,969 421,925 7,583,894 
			 
			  2004-05
			 February 1,629,280 31,696 1,660,976 
			 March 698,762 70,821 769,583 
			 Total 2,328,042 102,517 2,430,559 
		
	
	NIO funding to the inquiry covers expenditure by the Bloody Sunday inquiry, including staff, accommodation, IT, travel and legal costs for some participants.

Departmental Liability

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what dates in each of the last five years his Department informed the House of the creation of contingent liabilities relating to his Department.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) publishes its annual contingent liabilities and those of its non-executive non-departmental public bodies as part of the Departmental Resource Accounts.
	The following table shows the dates on which the NIO's Departmental resource accounts were issued in the last five financial years:
	
		
			   Date of Issue 
			 2007-08 16 July 2008 
			 2006-07 11 July 2007 
			 2005-06 20 July 2006 
			 2004-05 7 November 2005 
			 2003-04 27 January 2005 
		
	
	Details of the Contingent Liabilities of Executive NDPBs are published separately in their respective resource accounts which are laid before the House in accordance with the deadlines set by Her Majesty's Treasury.

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of invoices for goods and services procured from small and medium-sized businesses were paid within 30 days of receipt by  (a) his Department and  (b) the agencies for which his Department is responsible in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO), including its agencies, seeks to comply with 'The Better Payments Practice Code' for achieving good payment performance in commercial transactions. Under this code, the policy is to pay bills in accordance with contractual conditions or, where no such conditions exist, within 30 days of receipt of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice, whichever is later.
	The prompt payment results for 2007-08 showed that 91.6 per cent. of departmental and agency invoices were paid in accordance with the terms of the standard; this can be broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Body  Paid on time  (Percentage) 
			 Northern Ireland Office 89.9 
			 Northern Ireland Prison Service 92.6 
			 Forensic Science Northern Ireland 96.1 
			 Youth Justice Agency 95.0 
			 Compensation Agency 98.6 
		
	
	Any analysis relating to the size of the business can be completed only at disproportionate cost.

Mentally Ill Staff

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information his Department has gathered on the effect of its policies and practices on the recruitment, development and retention of employees with mental illnesses within his Department; and what use has been made of that information.

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information his Department has gathered on the effect of its policies and practices on the recruitment, development and retention of employees with mental illnesses within his Department.

Paul Goggins: In Northern Ireland, section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 ensures that equality issues, including disability, are integral to the whole range of public policy decision making. Public authorities such as the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) are required to submit equality schemes to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
	Section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA 1995) (as amended by article 5 of the Disability Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order 2006), which came into force on 1 January 2007, introduced the 'disability duties' in Northern Ireland to reflect changes to disability legislation in Great Britain.
	Under section 49B of the DDA 1995, the NIO is required to submit a disability action plan to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. This plan sets out how it proposes to fulfil the disability duties in relation to its functions and monitor and report on progress.
	The NIO is committed to a series of actions which we believe will help remove the attitudinal and environmental barriers experienced by many disabled people. The plan focuses on a number of key areas to help secure improvements: employment; accessibility; communication; and public appointments.
	Employee engagement is key to the NIO's Development and Health and Well Being Strategy and a crucial factor in motivating and retaining our employees.
	Since April we have arranged a number of seminars and events which has raised employee awareness of physical and mental health issues and health related articles are published on the NIO's internal intranet.
	In recognising that stress can lead to mental illness we have in place policies on the prevention, recognition and management of stress at work and are currently delivering a "Managing Stress" course mandated for all managers.
	The NIO also provides staff with the opportunity to attend the Occupational Health Service, to seek support from the Welfare Support Service or through an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). The EAP is complementary to the Welfare Support Service and provides an independent, confidential and professional counselling support service for all staff and their immediate family members. These services are available to all staff, and have benefited and assisted those who are absent because of sickness to return to work, and those who are in work to remain in work.
	Those public sector bodies which are sponsored by my department but are separately designated with respect to section 75 are responsible for publishing and implementing their own disability action plans.

TRANSPORT

A12: Gidea Park

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what work has been undertaken to repair the damage to the flyover at Gallows Corner on the A12 at Gidea Park following its partial closure; and what plans there are for a permanent replacement for the present flyover.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 10 November 2008
	Responsibility for the A12, from central London to the London boundary and the section of the A127 within London, lies with the Mayor and Transport for London. Questions on such operational matters including any works carried out at Gallows Corner or plans for a new flyover should be directed to them.

Air Traffic Control: Illegal Broadcasting

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the extent of disruption of air traffic control communications by illegal broadcasters; and what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues at the Home Office and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on such incidents.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of Communications is the Government agency responsible for monitoring and prosecuting illegal broadcasters. NATS, the leading air navigation services provider, is a private company and questions concerning the extent of disruption to its air traffic control services should be directed to the company's chief executive.

Airports

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the minimum recommended length of runway is for a Boeing 747 to land and take-off.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 10 November 2008
	The published take-off field length for a Boeing 747 is 3,200 metres, assuming maximum take-off weight and full thrust, and the published landing distance (for a dry runway) is 2,250 meters.

Airports: Planning Permission

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to publish a national policy statement within the framework envisaged by the Planning Bill on airports.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 10 November 2008
	We intend to publish a National Policy Statement on airports, in due course.

Aviation

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what process will be followed if BAA seeks permission to introduce mixed-mode  (a) within the 480,000 cap and  (b) exceeding the existing 480,000 cap.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 4 November 2008
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the question from the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Susan Kramer) on 3 November 2008,  Official Report , column 46W.

Aviation: Fares

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average change in air fares was in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table shows the average UK one-way air fare, including taxes and charges, covering domestic and international flights.
	
		
			  Average UK one-way air fare, 1997 prices 
			   Average air fare (£) 
			 1997 203 
			 1998 192 
			 1999 163 
			 2000 158 
			 2001 143 
			 2002 129 
			 2003 112 
			 2004 107 
			 2005 101 
			 2006 103 
			  Notes: 1. 'Fare' includes all taxes and charges. 2. Covers domestic and international scheduled flights, but excludes transfer and charter passengers. 3. Domestic component based on a sample of routes where sufficient data available.  Source: DFT analysis of CAA and IPS data.

Biofuels

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 15 October 2008,  Official Report, column 46WS, on the post-Gallagher update, what assessment he has made of the effect of slowing down the rate of increase of the renewable transport fuel obligation on levels of investment in sustainable biofuel production in  (a) the UK,  (b) the EU and  (c) other countries and regions.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government are currently consulting on proposals to slow down the rate of increase of obligation levels under the renewable transport fuel obligation. The impact assessment which accompanies the consultation examines the potential effects on investment in biofuel production in the UK only.
	This assessment concluded that a slowdown, together with future European targets for biofuels, should still give an incentive to the biofuels industry to invest in new technology and domestic capacity. A 5 per cent. biofuel obligation is still proposed in 2013-14 rather than 2010-11 and the final level of investment in sustainable production is not expected to be significantly affected. However there may be differences in the short to medium term in how fuel suppliers meet the obligation.(1)
	The views of consultees on the impact assessment and estimates of the effects on investment of the proposed slow down shall be taken into account by the Government.
	(1) Source:
	Consultation on the Draft Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations, (Amendment) Order 2009, Annex D Impact Assessment; page 71.

Driving Tests: Standards

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of  (a) delegated examiners and  (b) driving examiners have been safety checked by Driving Standards Agency quality assurance teams in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: During the last 12 months, the Driving Standards Agency's (DSA's) Quality Assurance Teams (QATs) have quality assured 46.7 per cent. of DSA's examiners.
	The Agency's QATs have also been used to assure the standards of delegated examiners (who primarily conduct bus and lorry driving tests). Delegated examiners are non-DSA personnel who are permitted, by the Secretary of State, to conduct driving tests. They are used by many police forces, fire and rescue authorities and some bus companies to conduct tests for their employees.
	New arrangements were introduced for delegated examiners from 10 September 2008, including revised quality assurance procedures. Since then, DSA have quality assured 3.4 per cent. of them.

Driving: Licensing

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has analysed on the number of  (a) serious injuries and  (b) fatalities resulting from accidents involving people driving who should not have held a driving licence due to their health or eyesight; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There is no such specific research. However, the Department's annual report "Road Casualties Great Britain" has since 2005 included information on factors that, in the opinion of the reporting officer, may have contributed to a crash. Included in the list of factors that can be reported are "uncorrected, defective eyesight" and "illness or disability, mental or physical". The figures reported are:
	
		
			   Fatal accidents  Serious accidents  Slight accidents  All 
			  Uncorrected, defective eyesight 
			 2005 10 35 181 226 
			 2006 4 47 158 209 
			 2007 5 41 161 207 
			  
			  Illness or disability, mental or physical 
			 2005 89 380 1316 1785 
			 2006 75 393 1,379 1,847 
			 2007 93 345 1,369 1,807 
		
	
	There is no information on how many of these cases involved drivers who should not have had a licence due to their health or eyesight.
	We are currently reviewing the procedures by which health issues are addressed in the driver licensing system. However, all drivers have a duty to ensure they are fit to drive before doing so.

Driving: Licensing

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to suspend the licences of drivers suspected of causing death or serious injury due to health or eyesight problems until the completion of inquiries into or prosecution of such drivers.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Where DVLA receives sufficient evidence of a relevant disability the driving licence can be revoked immediately.
	There are procedures in place for police forces to inform DVLA where they suspect that a driver is: suffering from a medical condition affecting their fitness to drive. This is not dependent on whether or not a decision is made to prosecute the driver for any related road traffic offence. Where sufficient evidence is not provided immediately, an investigation will be conducted and, if the individual is assessed as unfit to drive, the licence is revoked. There are currently no proposals to change this approach.

Driving: Licensing

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it a condition of holding a driving licence that a person consents to his medical records being released to the police in the event of an accident involving the licence-holder resulting in serious injury or fatality; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The investigation of such accidents is a matter for the police. The introduction of such a condition on the licence is not currently judged to be either proportionate or appropriate.

Driving: Licensing

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require medical professionals to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency when a person has a medical condition affecting a person's ability to drive.

Jim Fitzpatrick: While there is no legal obligation on doctors to notify DVLA, they do have a duty of care, not only to their patient but also to the general public. On this basis, they do have an obligation to report to DVLA instances where they consider a patient unfit to drive.
	The General Medical Council (GMC) has issued guidelines to the effect that doctors should inform DVLA about unfit patients who they have advised should notify DVLA, but have failed to act on that advice.
	There is no proposal to change this position.

Greater Manchester

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding his Department and its agencies has given to the Manchester-based organisations  (a) Transport Pool and  (b) the Community Network for Manchester in the last 24 months.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport and its agencies do not directly fund either of the two organisations in question. Community Network for Manchester has received Government funding through Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and Working Neighbourhoods Fund. This funding has been provided through Manchester city council.

Heathrow Airport: Construction

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to meet hon. Members representing constituencies which would be affected by Heathrow expansion before announcing a decision on the matter; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 10 November 2008
	Now that the period for public consultation has closed, it would not be appropriate for Ministers to enter into further discussion on Heathrow matters with individual Members. Today's debate will provide a further opportunity for all hon. Members to put on record their views and those of their constituents.

Heathrow Airport: Public Participation

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisations were consulted on the adding capacity at Heathrow equalities impact assessment consultation; how the consultation was publicised in West London; and whether the Department held any public meetings or public exhibitions as part of the consultation process.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 4 November 2008
	The adding capacity at Heathrow equalities impact assessment consultation document was published on the Department's website along with foreign language translations of the executive summary detailing how to respond, and was the subject of a press release.
	Around 300 organisations were contacted directly by letter drawing attention to the consultation document and alerting them to the intention to hold discussions with stakeholders. These included among others, local authorities, charities and voluntary sector organisations.
	A selected number of organisations identified by our independent consultants representing members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities, age and disability sectors were also invited to take part in some additional meetings to discuss the issues. Three of these meetings were held in the local community. No public exhibitions were held.

Monorails

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department has on the number and location of monorails in use in England; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not hold detailed information on monorail systems.

Railways: Construction

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to publish a National Policy Statement within the framework envisaged by the Planning Bill on high speed rail.

Paul Clark: In due course, we intend to publish a National Policy Statement on National Networks, which will include our policy for the development of the national rail network.

Railways: Overcrowding

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department will gather information on levels of overcrowding on trains in  (a) Hertfordshire and  (b) England.

Paul Clark: The information requested is currently published annually in aggregated form by the Office of Rail Regulation within its "National Rail Trends Yearbook" and is available on the ORR website. The latest published data relate to passenger counts carried out by train operators in autumn 2006.

Railways: Standards

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the minimum statutory space requirement for each rail passenger is; and what estimate his Department has made of how often these space requirements are met.

Paul Clark: Rail statistics are published by the Office of Rail Regulation. The latest data available are for 2006 and are published in the National Rail Trends Year Book for 2006-07, which is available in the Library of the House. The published crowding measure (which was first used by the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising in 2000) is based on an assumed standing room of 0.45 metres per standing passenger.
	There are two specific variations to the published measure: Class 376 trains, operating on Southeastern services; and for services operated by Stagecoach South West Trains to and from London Waterloo.
	New (Class 376) purpose-built vehicles ordered for Southeastern are configured to serve short-distance Metro passenger flows, and the stock has been specifically configured with low density seating and appropriate grab rails for standing passengers, to ensure that passengers can stand in relative comfort for short-distance journeys; the same is true for Class 455 units operated by Stagecoach South West Trains, on services that stop within 20 minutes of leaving London Waterloo. In these cases the standard is varied to 0.35 and 0.25 square metres respectively.

Road Traffic: Essex

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2008,  Official Report, column 247W, on road traffic: Essex, what major maintenance improvements he is contemplating; which auxiliary lane scheme he will approve for the Hatfield Peverel to Witham section; whether the £24.5 million expenditure is additional to money already earmarked for spending on trunk roads in the East of England; and when the allocation of funding to these projects will be confirmed.

Paul Clark: The Kelvedon Phase 2 major maintenance scheme is already funded and will begin construction on 13 November 2008. The future programme of works for the financial year 2009-10 will include both the Witham Phase 2 works and the Hatfield Peverel Auxiliary Lane scheme, both being programmed for construction concurrently.
	The Hatfield Peverel Auxiliary Lane section of the works will involve the construction of a southbound auxiliary lane between Junctions 21 and 20B of the A12, along with improvements to the northbound slip road at Junction 20B. This scheme will take place entirely within the current highway boundary.
	There will not be any requirement for additional money for the construction of the schemes as all design and construction costs will be taken from the Highways Agency's regular funding.
	Allocation of funding for schemes programmed to start during the financial year 2009-10 will be confirmed early 2009.

Roads: Accidents

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) people and  (b) children were (i) killed and (ii) seriously injured in road accidents in each of the last 16 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is given in the table:
	
		
			  Number of casualties 
			   Child (0-15)  Adult (16+)  All 
			   Fatal  Serious  Slight  Total  Fatal  Serious  Slight  Total  Fatal  Serious  Slight  Total 
			 1992 310 7,434 36,443 44,187 3,908 41,144 216,056 261,108 4,229 49,256 257,268 310,753 
			 1993 306 6,670 35,617 42,593 3,493 37,652 216,742 257,887 3,814 45,020 257,301 306,135 
			 1994 299 7,226 37,627 45,152 3,320 38,552 221,960 263,832 3,650 46,540 265,169 315,359 
			 1995 270 6,983 36,536 43,789 3,330 37,866 219,477 260,673 3,621 45,533 261,533 310,687 
			 1996 270 6,719 37,848 44,837 3,304 37,085 229,597 269,986 3,598 44,499 272,481 320,578 
			 1997 255 6,197 38,094 44,546 3,344 36,119 238,193 277,656 3,599 42,984 281,220 327,803 
			 1998 206 5,873 37,366 43,445 3,213 34,315 238,393 275,921 3,421 40,834 280,957 325,212 
			 1999 221 5,478 36,352 42,051 3,183 32,914 234,947 271,044 3,423 39,122 277,765 320,310 
			 2000 191 5,011 34,513 39,715 3,211 32,382 237,129 272,722 3,409 38,155 278,719 320,283 
			 2001 219 4,769 33,281 38,269 3,199 31,559 232,170 266,928 3,450 37,110 272,749 313,309 
			 2002 179 4,417 30,093 34,689 3,221 30,846 226,169 260,236 3,431 35,976 263,198 302,605 
			 2003 171 3,929 27,888 31,988 3,320 29,095 218,477 250,892 3,508 33,707 253,392 290,607 
			 2004 166 3,739 27,095 31,000 3,037 26,790 212,539 242,366 3,221 31,130 246,489 280,840 
			 2005 141 3,331 24,654 28,126 3,051 25,031 207,339 235,421 3,201 28,954 238,862 271,017 
			 2006 169 3,125 22,229 25,523 2,994 25,057 198,442 226,493 3,172 28,673 226,559 258,404 
			 2007 121 2,969 20,717 23,807 2,817 24,285 190,872 217,974 2,946 27,774 217,060 247,780 
			 (1) Includes cases where age of the casualty was not reported. 
		
	
	The information is also published in table C on the Department's website at the following web address:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/172974/173025/221412/221549/227755/315281/personaliniury.xls

Thames Gateway Bridge

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions his Department has had with  (a) the Mayor of London and  (b) Transport for London on the proposed Thames Gateway Bridge; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Department for Transport officials have regular discussions with Transport for London regarding the proposed Thames Gateway Bridge. The Secretary of State and the Mayor met on 9 July and discussed the matter but further work was needed in order to address the issues raised at the inquiry. The proposed Thames Gateway Bridge is a Transport for London project however, and is therefore a matter for the Mayor. It would be inappropriate for me to make a statement.

Transport: Disabled

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being made to make London transport more accessible to disabled people before 2012.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Transport for the London 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games is the responsibility of the Olympic Deliver Authority (ODA). The ODA published their Accessible Transport Strategy in May 2008, which outlines the plans for ensuring that disabled persons can make best use of public transport to get to and from games venues and events. This includes the accessibility work streams under way on the London transport network, including improvements in accessibility at key stations such as Stratford Regional station and Stratford International, and other accessibility programmes such as London Underground's "Step Free Programme".

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Crime

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) cautions and  (b) arrests were imposed for alcohol-related offences in (i) Hertfordshire and (ii) Hemel Hempstead in the last eight quarters for which records are available.

Alan Campbell: The information requested in respect of cautions covering the offences of (a) Drunkenness, (b) Drunkenness with aggravation, (c) Offences against the licensing acts, (d) other offences against intoxicating laws, and (e) selected motoring offences, is provided in the table. The Office for Criminal Justice Reform is unable to provide data for Hemel Hempstead as data are not collected at the level required.
	The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally. The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery. The alcohol related offences presented in the table are not notifiable offences and do not form part of the arrests collection.
	From data reported to the Ministry of Justice, with the exception of these offences, it is not possible to separately identify whether cautions or arrests for other offences were alcohol related.
	
		
			  Number of offenders cautioned( 1)  for alcohol related offences( 2)  and issued with Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs)( 3)  in the Hertfordshire police force area, broken down by quarter, 2005 to 2006( 4,5) 
			   2005  2006 
			   Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4 
			 Cautions 17 19 19 11 8 8 10 2 
			 PNDs 64 106 83 105 83 88 89 94 
			 (1) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and final warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (2) Includes offences of: (a) Drunkenness simple. (b) Drunkenness with aggravation simple. (c) Offences by licensed person. (d) Other offences against intoxicating liquor laws. (e) Driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs. (3) Includes all alcohol related penalty notices for disorder: Drunk and disorderly Selling alcohol to person under 18 Selling alcohol to a person who is drunk Supplying alcohol to a person under 18 Purchasing alcohol for person under 18 in licensed premises Purchasing alcohol for person under 18 for consumption in a bar in licensed premises Delivering alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery Being drunk in a highway, other public place or licensed premises Consuming alcohol in designated public place Consuming alcohol by person under 18 in licensed premises Allowing consumption of alcohol by person under 18 in licensed premises Purchase of alcohol by a person under 18 (4) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (5) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many penalty notices for disorder in relation to the sale of alcohol to a person under 18 years of age were issued in  (a) England and Wales and  (b) each police force area in each year since 2004; how many of these resulted in an unpaid fine in each area; and what the average fine levied was.

Alan Campbell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 30 June 2008,  Official Report, column 711W.

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were prosecuted for supplying alcohol to people under the age of 18 years in Islwyn constituency in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given on 10 June 2008,  Official Report, column 18W.
	Information held on the court proceedings database cannot be broken down by constituency.

Asylum

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers were living in each constituency in the UK at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: Statistics on the location of asylum seekers in the UK are linked to the available information on the support that the asylum seeker receives. A detailed breakdown by regional location of those asylum seekers not in receipt of support would only be available at disproportionate cost by examination of each of the individual case records.
	The numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of support broken clown by parliamentary constituency are published on a quarterly basis and are available from the Library of the House. Tables are placed in the Library of the House on a quarterly basis and are named "Asylum seekers supported in accommodation, by UK Government Office Region and Parliamentary Constituency" and "Asylum seekers in receipt of subsistence only support, by UK Government Office Region and Parliamentary Constituency". These regional breakdowns are available from December 2002.
	The numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of support broken down by UK Government Office Region and local authority are also published on a quarterly and annual basis. Copies of these publications are available in the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Asylum

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her most recent estimate is of the number of unsuccessful asylum seekers who are in the United Kingdom without leave to remain.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 27 October 2008
	No Government have ever been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally and this includes failed asylum seekers. By its very nature it is impossible to quantify accurately and that remains the case.
	As part of the Government's 10-point plan for delivery, by December 2008 the majority of foreign nationals will be counted in and out of the country. This is part of a sweeping programme of border protection which also includes the global roll-out of fingerprint visas, compulsory watch-list checks for all travellers from high-risk countries before they land in Britain and ID cards for foreign nationals.
	On 19 June 2008, the Government set out its plans to more robustly enforce the immigration rules including the removal of those not entitled to be here. Copies of the document are placed in the Library of the House. It is also available to view at:
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/?requestType=form&vie w=Search+results&simpleOrAdvanced=simple&page=1&content Type=AII&searchTerm=enforcing+the+deal&Submit=Go

Asylum

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people residing in the UK were originally granted asylum in another EU member state.

Phil Woolas: This information is not available and could be obtained by examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.

Asylum

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of those asylum seekers required to report to an immigration detention centre while their applications were being processed missed at least one appointment in  (a) June and  (b) September 2007.

Phil Woolas: Records indicate that in both June and September 2007 9 per cent. of those asylum seekers required to report failed to do so at least once. This data is based on management information and is not a National Statistic. It should be treated as provisional as it is subject to change.
	The information does not include asylum seekers reporting at police stations or failed asylum seekers who are subject to reporting restrictions. It refers to asylum seekers who have made an application for asylum and have not yet had an outcome.

Asylum: Iraq

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications from Iraqis under the  (a) locally engaged staff assistance scheme for resettlement in the UK and  (b) Gateway Protection programme are awaiting evaluation.

Phil Woolas: Under the locally engaged staff assistance scheme UKBA can receive applications from current staff seeking entry under the direct entry scheme or the Gateway Protection programme and applications from former staff seeking entry under the Gateway Protection programme.
	 (a) Seven applications from current staff, are awaiting evaluation under the direct entry scheme. There are no applications from current staff awaiting evaluation under the Gateway Protection programme.
	 (b) The Gateway Protection programme is wider than the locally engaged staff assistance scheme. Under Gateway 102 applications from former Iraqi staff are awaiting evaluation and a further 58 from Iraqi nationals who are not nor have ever been employed by HMG. This includes all applications where a final decision in accordance with the Gateway policy has yet to be made.

Border and Immigration Agency: Correspondence

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Parliamentary Business Unit of the Immigration and Nationality Department plans to reply to the hon. Member for Edinburgh West's correspondence of 17 July on his constituent Felicity Kalingizi.

Phil Woolas: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 6 November 2008.

e-Borders: Consultancy Fees

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on consultancy fees related to the e-Borders project.

Phil Woolas: The e-Borders programme has spent £36 million on consultancy fees since the inception of the pilot project for e-Borders in 2004.
	Prior to contract award the expenditure on procurement was £31.4 million, and on Project Semaphore was an additional £4.6 million. Post contract award (14 November 2007) the cost of consultancy services has been substantially reduced to just £1 million.

British Nationality: Assessments

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many tests have been carried out at each of the accredited Life in the UK test centres in the Greater London area.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 6 November 2008
	The following table shows how many Life in the UK tests were taken in each accredited centre in the Government region of London.
	
		
			  Tests taken: November 2005 to September 2008 
			  Centre name  Number of tests 
			 ABAAS Forest Gate 1,896 
			 TBG Tower Hamlets 12,435 
			 Anglo-British Academy of Advance Studies 12,567 
			 Deltaclub Group 11,301 
			 The Learning Line 11,527 
			 Intech Centre 6,757 
			 Southgate College 7,992 
			 Best Computer Training—Whitechapel 6,371 
			 Tottenham Learning Zone 16,475 
			 HALS Wood Green Library 2,669 
			 Exchange Group—Willesden 7,375 
			 Akshar IT Centre 12,565 
			 TBG Camden 3,260 
			 The Sunrise Academy 16,018 
			 PDA (Training) Ltd. 12,316 
			 London Community College 10,668 
			 Greenwich Community College 3,370 
			 Next Education Limited 8,969 
			 Exchange Group—Wimbledon 7,998 
			 A4e Westminster 20,025 
			 Iranian Association 8,299 
			 Exchange Group—Kensington 9,686 
			 Orpington Learndirect Centre 3,764 
			 Learning Curves 13,453 
			 Exchange Group—Ilford 7,379 
			 Harrow College Adult Learners Centre 11,169 
			 Exchange Group—Morden 1,963 
			 Computer Learning Centre 6,890 
			 Training and Assessment Services 11,968 
			 E-Link 10,146 
			  Note: Data supplied by University for Industry

British Nationality: Assessments

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason it is proposed to reduce the number of Life in the UK test centres in the Greater London area.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 6 November 2008
	The Life in the UK testing service is provided to UKBA by the University for Industry (Ufi) via a commercial contract. Contractually Ufi are required to maintain a minimum network of 28 test centres in the Government Region of London. As at 31 October there were 30 test centres.
	The number and location of test centres is under constant review by Ufi and they have put a proposal to UKBA to reduce the minimum number of centres required in London to 21. UKBA is still considering the proposal and a decision is expected by the end of November.
	Ufi are seeking to reduce the network as the number of tests taken has reduced from a peak of 43,000 in June 2007 to an average of 19,000 per month for the quarter ending September 2008.

Coastal Areas: Crime

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the key crime indicators are in  (a) each of the principal seaside towns in England and Wales and  (b) the super output layer ward with the (i) highest and (ii) lowest crime rates within each of those towns.

Alan Campbell: Information is not available in the form requested. The Home Office collects and publishes statistics for seven key offences for each local authority area in England and Wales. It is likely that some seaside towns will equate to the local authority area. The local authority data is available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/laa1b.xls
	Although the Home Office does not currently collect recorded crime data at super output area (SOA) level for all police forces in England and Wales, data have been collected at this level for a selection of forces. These data are available on the neighbourhood statistics website at:
	http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/
	The Home Office intends to extend the coverage of the SOA recorded crime data collection, with full England and Wales coverage expected to be available during 2009-10.

Crime

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the level of public fear of crime involving  (a) theft of a car,  (b) burglary and  (c) a physical attack in each of the last 16 years.

Alan Campbell: The British Crime Survey (BCS) asks questions on worry about crime for three crime types: burglary, car crime and violent crime. The level of worry about burglary has been measured since 1992, and levels of worry about car crime and violent crime have been measured since 1998.
	The latest figures from the 2007-08 BCS show that 12 per cent. of people report a high level of worry about each of burglary and car crime and 15 per cent. of people report a high level of worry about violent crime. Figures since 1992 are included in table 1 and can also be found in the Home Office statistical bulletin "Crime in England and Wales 2007/08", a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.
	
		
			  Table 1: Trends in worry about crime, 1992 to 2007-08, BCS 
			Ints  
			   1992  1994  1996  1998  2000  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  Statistically significant change, 2006-07 to 2007-08 
			  Percentage with high level of worry about:  
			 Burglary 19 26 22 19 19 15 15 13 12 13 13 12 — 
			 Car crime n/a n/a n/a 22 21 17 17 15 13 14 13 12 — 
			 Violent crime n/a n/a n/a 25 24 22 21 16 16 17 17 15 — 
			   
			 Unweighted base(1) 10,044 14,502 7,973 14,925 19,388 32,765 36,427 37,872 45,046 47,713 47,122 46,888 — 
			 (1) Unweighted bases refer to high levels of worry about burglary. Bases for violent crime will be similar but for car crime they will be slightly lower as based on those residing in households owning, or with regular use of, a vehicle only.

Crimes of Violence

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of violence against the person were recorded  (a) in total and  (b) per 1,000 of the population for (i) England, (ii) the Avon and Somerset Constabulary area and (iii) Bath and North East Somerset in each year from 1997 to 2008.

Alan Campbell: The available information is given in the following tables. Bath and North East Somerset is a Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area. Data for violence against the person at CDRP level are only available from 1999-2000 onwards.
	
		
			  Table 1: Offences of violence against the person recorded by the police—1997 
			  Number of offences 
			  Area  Number of offences  Rate per 1,000 population 
			 England 233,441 5 
			 Avon and Somerset 9,614 7 
			 Bath and North East Somerset n/a n/a 
			 n/a = Not available 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Offences of violence against the person recorded by the police—1998-99 to 2001-02 
			  Number of offences 
			  Area  England  Avon and Somerset  Bath and North East Somerset 
			  1998-99
			 Number of offences 470,689 12,333 n/a 
			 Rate per 1,000 population 10 8 n/a 
			 
			  1999-2000
			 Number of offences 543,114 12,921 1,108 
			 Rate per 1,000 population 11 9 7 
			 
			  2000-01
			 Number of offences 562,679 15,376 1,198 
			 Rate per 1,000 population 11 10 7 
			 
			  2001-02
			 Number of offences 613,869 17,686 1,640 
			 Rate per 1,000 population 12 12 10 
			 n/a = Not available  Notes: 1. The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997. 2. The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Offences of violence against the person recorded by the police—2002-03 to 2007-08 
			  Number of offences 
			  Area  England  Avon and Somerset  Bath and North East Somerset 
			  2002-03
			 Number of offences 781,768 20,739 1,544 
			 Rate per 1,000 population 16 14 9 
			 
			  2003-04
			 Number of offences 902,732 26,530 2,000 
			 Rate per 1,000 population 18 18 12 
			 
			  2004-05
			 Number of offences 981,646 31,462 2,685 
			 Rate per 1,000 population 20 21 16 
			 
			  2005-06
			 Number of offences 992,612 30,496 2,877 
			 Rate per 1,000 population 20 20 17 
			 
			  2006-07
			 Number of offences 976,369 30,881 3,000 
			 Rate per 1,000 population 19 20 17 
			 
			  2007-08
			 Number of offences 896,287 27,147 2,857 
			 Rate per 1,000 population 18 17 16 
			  Note: The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Departmental Data Protection

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1253W, on departmental data protection, what criteria are applied to decide whether it is in the public interest to comment on breaches of security.

Phil Woolas: Except in exceptional cases, when it is in the public interest, it has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on breaches of security or the criteria used to decide such matters.

Departmental Information Officers

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many press and communications officers are employed by  (a) her Department,  (b) its non-departmental public bodies and  (c) its agencies.

Phil Woolas: Press and communications officers in the Home Office are employed at the Senior Information, Information and Assistant Information Officer grades. The following table gives details of the staff currently employed by the Department and its agencies in these grades.
	
		
			   Press Officers  Communication Officers  Total 
			 Home Office 32 21 53 
			 UKBA 6 23 29 
			 Total 38 44 82 
		
	
	Other specialist and generalist staff across the organisation may have communications as a core part of their role, as good communication is integral to helping implement Government policy. However information on the numbers of staff in this category is not held centrally and could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
	Also data on staff employed by non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Information Officers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent press officers  (a) work and  (b) provide assistance for her Department.

Phil Woolas: Press officers in the Home Office are employed at the senior information (SIO) and information officer (IO) grades. The total number of full-time equivalent press officers currently employed by the Department is 37.89 (this figure includes six regional press officers employed by UKBA).
	Ministers undertaking engagements outside of London may also for short periods of time be assisted by press officers employed by the Government News Network (GNN). This assistance is demand led and information on the total amount of time spent in terms of full-time equivalents is not held centrally and cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) page hits and  (b) visitors her Department's website received in 2007-08.

Phil Woolas: Page hits and visitors to www.homeoffice.gov.uk and its sub-domains for 2007-08 can be found in the tables placed in the House Library.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of maintaining her Department's website  (a) was in 2007-08 and  (b) is forecast to be in 2008-09.

Phil Woolas: Running costs for www.homeoffice.gov.uk in 2007-08 are £620,000 (excluding staff costs). Running costs for www.homeoffice.gov.uk in 2008-09 are anticipated to be £620,000 (excluding staff costs).
	Costs for all Home Office sites are embedded in budgets across the Department and could be extracted only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on entertainment by her Department in 2007-08; and how much of that was for  (a) food,  (b) alcohol,  (c) staff and  (d) accommodation.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office systems do not separately identify the costs of food, alcohol, staff and accommodation related to entertainment separately and they could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However we do retain records for hospitality provided by both civil servants and Ministers. The spend for 2007-08, the last 12 month period for which there are audited figures, was £58,156.
	Home Office expenditure on official hospitality and entertainment conforms to departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, which complies with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety. Hospitality is defined as the provision of food, drink and entertainment of non civil servants where it is beneficial to the interests of the Department.
	For the Department's agencies, the Criminal Records Bureau and the Identity and Passport Service's spend could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Deportation

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of those listed as being removed from the UK in 2006 were removed at a port; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Of the 63,865 removals from the UK in 2006, 34,825 (55 per cent.) were persons refused entry at port and subsequently removed. This proves the success and strength of our border and juxtaposed controls. Figures are rounded to the nearest five and are provisional.
	National Statistics on immigration and asylum are available from the Library of the House and the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Detention Centres

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to introduce mobile detention vans operated by the UK Border Agency on a national basis.

Phil Woolas: The pilot of a mobile detention facility started in Northampton on 30 September and lasted for five weeks. The pilot covered the full range of operational scenarios our in-country enforcement officers face to test the facility's usefulness and how it complements, or adds to the existing fleet of vehicles available to the United Kingdom Border Agency.
	The benefits will be assessed to determine whether the United Kingdom Border Agency wants to deploy additional vehicles of this specification in the future.
	The mobile detention facility itself was adapted for this pilot from this existing fleet of vehicles, and on completion of the pilot it will continue to be available for operational tasking as required on a national basis.

Detention Centres

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sites her Department has identified as suitable for alternative to detention programmes for asylum seeking families; and when she expects those sites to become operational.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 20 October 2008
	 One site in Scotland has already been identified as suitable for a future A2D pilot and the location and start date will be announced when contractual negotiations are complete.

Detention Centres: Finance

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost of detaining  (a) an adult and  (b) a person under 16 years in an immigration centre for one year, broken down by category of cost.

Phil Woolas: We do not differentiate costs between an adult and a person under 16-years-old in our immigration removal centres (IRC). The estimated average cost of holding a single person in an IRC is £130 per day.

Drugs: Crime

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people convicted of offences in England and Wales in the last year tested positive for illegal drug use upon arrest.

Alan Campbell: The information requested is not available.
	The Home Office Drug Interventions programme (DIP) holds data on the number of people who test positive at arrest or charge in DIP intensive areas, and the offences for which they were arrested or charged. No information is available as to whether the individuals were convicted for the offence for which they were arrested or charged.

Drugs: Crime Prevention

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crack house closures have taken place in each county in Wales in the last three years.

Alan Campbell: In the last three years, the information returned to the Home Office through the CDRP Survey for England and Wales shows that the county of Glamorgan issued three crack house closures (Cardiff city and county), Caernarfonshire issued one (Conwy county borough council), Monmouthshire issued two (Monmouthshire county council) and Denbighshire issued nine (Wrexham county borough council).

Genetics: Databases

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which private firms have successfully applied to use the national DNA database to help them develop computer programmes.

Alan Campbell: LGC and Cellmark have successfully applied for use of information from the national DNA database (NDNAD), to develop computer software to enhance use of the NDNAD and thus allow more suspects to be identified. Requests for the release of information must be approved by the NDNAD Strategy Board. The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 lays down that DNA samples and the profiles derived from them can only be used for the purposes of prevention and detection of crime, the investigation of an offence, the conduct of a prosecution or, since April 2005, for the purposes of identifying a deceased person. In accordance with this, no information has been supplied to private firms to assist with the development of software for any other purpose. The information supplied from the NDNAD was anonymised, that is, no details that would enable individuals to be identified were supplied to the private companies.

Illegal Immigrants: Employment

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2008,  Official Report, column 267W, on illegal immigrants: employment, how many  (a) arrests have been made and  (b) enforcement actions commenced in respect of illegal migrant workers in each year since 2005.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 28 October 2008
	The information requested is set out in the table at annex A.
	Prior to April 2005 the UK Border Agency did not produce regular reports on numbers of individuals arrested. The data provided is management information. It may be subject to change and does not represent published national statistics.
	
		
			  Annex A: Illegal working operational activity 
			   Total enforcement visits  Number of arrests made 
			 2005-06 3,748 3,774 
			 2006-07 5,412 4,001 
			 2007-08 7,178 5,589 
			  Note: The data provided is management information. It may be subject to change and does not represent published national statistics.

Immigration

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals married under Sharia law outside the UK  (a) were granted residence and  (b) took up residence in the UK during each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: When considering applications for leave to enter or remain staff in the UK Border Agency must satisfy themselves that the applicant is validly married to the sponsor. The type of marriage is not recorded and therefore statistics are not available. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 10 November 2008,  Official Report, column 803W.

Immigration

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration her Department has given to abolishing unconditional leave to remain.

Phil Woolas: We set out in the Green Paper "The Path to Citizenship" that there would be three routes to citizenship—economic, family and protection—and a clear three-stage journey through temporary residence, a new stage of probationary citizenship and then British citizenship or permanent residence. Consideration is being given to each stage.

Immigration: Community Work

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to proposals to allow migrants who take part in community work to serve a shorter period before getting a UK passport, which public sector agencies will monitor the validity of the community work.

Phil Woolas: We want migrants who wish to make the UK their long-term home to integrate fully into our society and we want to reward migrants who make an effort to be active citizens with a quicker path to citizenship.
	We have established a group with representatives from local government and the third sector to help us identify the most effective and practical way of implementing the proposal, including the most appropriate way we can verify that activities have taken place.

Immigration: Criminal Records

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-UK nationals with exceptional leave to remain were  (a) granted and  (b) refused the right of settlement in the UK in each year since 1997; and in how many cases a refusal was on the grounds of a criminal conviction in the UK.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 4 November 2008
	Grants of settlement 1997-2007 to persons previously granted exceptional leave to remain in the United Kingdom are published in Table 5.3 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin "Control of Immigration Statistics United Kingdom 2007".
	This publication is available in the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb1008.pdf
	The Home Office does not collate statistics on the number of people with exceptional leave to remain who have been refused settlement in the UK and whether the reason for refusal was on the grounds of having a criminal conviction in the UK. The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by undertaking a search of case files of all individuals with exceptional leave to remain who have applied for settlement in the UK since 1997.
	
		
			  Table 5.3 Grants of settlement by category of grant, excluding EEA and Swiss nationals( 1, 2) , 1997-2007, United Kingdom 
			  Number of persons 
			  Category of grant  1997( 3)  1998( 3)  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004( 4)  2005  2006R  2007( 5) , P 
			 Grants in own right or on a discretionary basis (excluding spouses and dependants)
			 On completion of four/five years(6):
			 in employment with a work permit 2,845 3,155 3,285 4,455 4,335 5,845 9,190 16,205 25,470 11,270 15,165 
			 in permit free employment(7) 705 855 700 1,415 890 980 1,325 1,325 1,625 670 790 
			 as business or self employed, or as persons of independent means 265 200 130 260 160 115 230 220 320 2,595 75 
			 Commonwealth citizens with a United Kingdom-born grandparent, taking or seeking employment 1,110 1,675 2,240 2,580 3,255 4,060 5,275 4,755 4,795 1,900 1,675 
			 British overseas citizens with special vouchers 220 170 220 160 140 60 * 5 * * — 
			 Refugees and persons given exceptional leave to remain: 4,830 6,675 22,505 25,355 17,965 18,235 12,185 19,025 33,850 19,075 10,250 
			 Of which:
			 recognised refugees(8) 2,405 4,270 (15)22,505 (15)25,355 (15)17,965 10,955 4,875 1,695 1,230 40 30 
			 persons given exceptional leave to remain 2,425 2,405 (15)— (15)— (15)— 7,280 7,310 8,545 21,840 14,555 8,850 
			 granted under the Family ILR exercise(9) — — — — — — — 8,785 10,780 3,975 215 
			 other asylum-related grants — — — — — — — — — 500 1,155 
			 Other grants on a discretionary basis(10) 2,160 3,700 2,580 6,150 4,190 6,730 10,860 4,075 4,050 6,155 8,785 
			 Total granted in own right or on a discretionary basis(11) 12,145 16,435 31,665 40,380 30,935 36,020 39,065 45,615 70,105 41,670 36,745 
			 
			 Spouses and dependants
			 Husbands:
			 settled on arrival 15 10 15 25 55 45 85 785 560 445 325 
			 settled on removal of time limit 11,240 13,620 15,370 15,730 17,780 16,640 19,210 11,860 15,195 18,105 17,750 
			 Of which:
			 on basis of marriage(12) 10,700 13,010 14,565 14,460 16,850 15,470 17,275 7,985 8,540 15,185 13,495 
			 at same time as wife 540 610 805 1,270 930 1,170 1,935 3,875 6,660 2,915 4,250 
			 Total husbands 11,260 13,635 15,385 15,755 17,835 16,685 19,295 12,645 15,760 18,550 18,070 
			 Wives:
			 settled on arrival 150 125 150 165 240 190 275 2,450 2,080 1,300 795 
			 settled on removal of time limit 20,250 22,165 24,800 30,750 30,745 30,535 37,480 22,780 28,130 33,170 28,330 
			 of which:
			 on basis of marriage(12) 16,160 18,390 19,945 24,100 26,590 24,930 30,560 12,520 15,205 26,365 22,405 
			 at same time as husband 4,090 3,775 4,855 6,655 4,155 5,605 6,920 10,260 12,925 6,805 5,925 
			 
			 Total wives 20,400 22,290 24,950 30,920 30,985 30,725 37,750 25,230 30,210 34,470 29,125 
			 Children:
			 settled on arrival 1,535 1,430 1,710 1,520 1,730 1,505 1,590 7,485 5,385 5,105 4,390 
			 settled on removal of time limit: 9,985 10,850 17,725 27,485 18,400 19,725 25,800 33,330 40,060 20,560 25,830 
			 Of which:
			 with parent accepted on basis of marriage 1,395 1,615 2,005 3,580 3,830 3,420 4,560 1,925 2,125 3,315 2,990 
			 other 8,590 9,235 15,720 23,900 14,570 16,305 21,245 31,405 37,935 17,245 22,840 
			 Total children 11,520 12,280 19,435 29,005 20,130 21,235 27,395 40,815 45,445 25,665 30,220 
			 Parents and grandparents joining children or grandchildren:
			 settled on arrival 295 285 265 265 295 215 90 100 260 405 355 
			 settled on removal of time limit: 885 1,050 815 2,175 1,465 1,530 3,020 1,885 1,185 1,060 645 
			 Other and unspecified dependants(13) 1,870 3,510 4,380 7,150 6,600 6,940 6,360 8,405 11,520 8,050 5,785 
			 Total spouses and dependants 46,230 53,045 66,225 85,265 77,305 77,335 93,910 89,080 104,380 88,205 84,200 
			 Claim to right of abode upheld and other grants 350 310 230 295 170 120 130 75 70 135 25 
			 Category unknown(14) — — — — — 2,490 6,175 4,440 4,565 4,440 3,880 
			 Total 58,725 69,790 97,115 125,945 108,410 115,965 139,280 139,210 179,120 134,445 124,855 
			 (1) Swiss nationals are excluded from 1 June 2002—see Explanatory Notes and Definitions, paragraph 10.  (2) Data from 2003 also exclude dependants of EEA and Swiss nationals in confirmed relationships granted permanent residence—see Explanatory Notes and Definitions, paragraph 12.  (3) Includes a small number of EEA nationals.  (4) Includes nationals of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia before 1 May 2004, but excludes them from this date.  (5) Excludes Bulgaria and Romania.  (6) In 2006, the qualifying period for settlement in all employment-related categories changed from four to five years. See Changes Affecting Statistics of Immigration Control, paragraph 2 (xv).  (7) Includes ministers of religion, writers and artists.  (8 )Includes persons granted settlement under measures aimed at reducing the pre-July backlog as announced in the White Paper in July 1998.  (9) Included In "other asylum-related grants" from April 2007.  (10) Data for 2007 include persons granted indefinite leave outside the immigration rules under measures aimed at clearing the backlog of outstanding unresolved cases. See Changes Affecting Statistics of Immigration Control, paragraph 2 (xvl).  (11) Includes Commonwealth citizens ordinarily resident on 1 January 1973 and for five years.  (12) Includes civil and unmarried partners.  (13) Data from 27 July 1998 to 2002 include husbands, wives and children of port asylum seekers given indefinite leave to enter.  (14) See Explanatory Notes and Definitions, paragraphs 3 and 4.  (15) Indicates brace.

Members: Correspondence

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when she expects the Minister for Immigration to reply to the letter of 5 February 2008 from the hon. Member for Rossendale and Darwen on meeting the hon. Member and my hon. Friend the Member for Hyndburn (Mr. Pope) to discuss the case of Aso Mohammed Ibrahim;
	(2)  when she will answer the Question tabled on 28 February 2008 by the hon. Member for Rossendale and Darwen on the case of Aso Mohammed Ibrahim; and what the reasons are for the time taken to provide a reply.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 1 May 2008
	 A response was sent to my hon. Friend on 8 September 2008.

Offences Against Children

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) male and  (b) female victims of childhood sexual abuse there were in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Campbell: The recorded crime statistics are based on legal definitions and the available statistics for sexual offences where the victim can be identified as a child are given in the following tables. We are only able to identify the sex of the victim for offences of rape.
	
		
			  Table 1:  Selected sexual offences recorded by the police In England and Wales, 1998-99 to 2001-02( 1) 
			  Offence  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Sexual assault on a male child under 13 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Rape of a female child under 16 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Rape of a female child under 13 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Rape of a male child under 16 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Rape of a male child under 13 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Sexual assault on a female child under 13 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 153 181 155 169 
			 Sexual activity involving a child under 13 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 1,135 1,270 1,237 1,328 
			 Sexual activity involving a child under 16 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Abuse of children through prostitution and pornography n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Gross indecency with a child 1,293 1,365 1,336 1,654 
			 n/a = not available (1) The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Selected sexual offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, 2002-03 to 2007-08( 1,2) 
			  Offence  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Sexual assault on a male child under 13 n/a n/a 1,227 1,394 1,237 1,118 
			 Rape of a female child under 16 n/a n/a 3,014 3,153 2,853 2,418 
			 Rape of a female child under 13 n/a n/a 970 1,388 1,524 1,472 
			 Rape of a male child under 16 n/a n/a 322 292 261 235 
			 Rape of a male child under 13 n/a n/a 297 364 458 427 
			 Sexual assault on a female child under 13 n/a n/a 4,391 4,647 4,245 3,976 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 183 212 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Sexual activity involving a child under 13 n/a n/a 1,510 1,950 1,936 1,836 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16(3) 1,515 1,911 436 138 67 33 
			 Sexual activity involving a child under 16 n/a n/a 2,546 3,283 3,208 3,100 
			 Abuse of children through prostitution and pornography n/a n/a 99 124 101 110 
			 Gross indecency with a child(3) 1,917 1,987 398 120 64 150 
			 n/a = not available (1) The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. (2) The Sexual Offences Act 2003 introduced in May 2004 altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences. (3) A small number of offences continue to be recorded relating to offences repealed by the Sexual Offences Act 2003; while these may continue to be legitimately recorded for offences committed prior to May 2004 it is also possible that some may have been recorded in these old categories in error, so recent changes based on small numbers should be interpreted with caution.

Offenders: Deportation

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals who have been convicted of a crime in the UK are awaiting deportation.

Phil Woolas: Case law and existing policy means that the UK Border Agency are only able to give consideration as to whether a foreign national who has committed a crime within the United Kingdom should be subject to deportation action until 12 months before the end of an individual's sentence, except when their sentence length is shorter. As such the information requested is not available as it is not possible to provide an indication as to the eventual outcome of the case for a foreign prisoner who is currently serving their sentence.
	The chief executive of the UK Border Agency has regularly written to the Home Affairs Committee with the most robust and accurate information available. Copies of her letters are available in the Library of the House.
	Having exceeded the Prime Minister's target of 4,000 deportations or removals of foreign prisoners in 2007, the Agency has now been set an even tougher target and aims to remove or deport more than 5,000 foreign prisoners in 2008. In the first six months of this year, the Agency had deported or removed nearly 2,500 which is a record performance, 22 per cent. higher than for the same period in 2007 and nearly 140 per cent. higher than in 2006.

Offensive Weapons: Arrests

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people aged 16 years and under were arrested for carrying knives in  (a) Peterborough,  (b) Cambridgeshire and  (c) England and Wales in the last year for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: The information requested is not available.
	The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery.
	From these centrally reported data we are not able to identify knife possession offences from within the main offence groups.

Personal Records

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 1997 an individual was unable to leave the UK owing to the loss of relevant documents by her Department.

Phil Woolas: This information cannot be provided because details of individuals unable to leave the UK owing to missing documents are not held centrally

Police: Licensed Premises

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her Department's policy is on licensed premises which open late being required to make a contribution to costs of policing those premises; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 27 October 2008
	A licensed premises which is open 'late' is not necessarily a problem premises. If a licensed premises is found to be breaching one of the four licensing objectives, then it may be reviewed (following application by a responsible authority such as the police, or an interested party such as a local resident) and conditions may be applied to solve the problem. The premises may also have its licensable activities curtailed if this is deemed necessary e.g. a reduction in hours for the sale of alcohol or, in more serious cases, suspension or revocation of the licence.
	However, the Government introduced Alcohol Disorder Zones (ADZs) in the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006, and the powers were commenced in June 2008. ADZs provide police and local authorities with a measure of last resort for tackling high levels of alcohol related nuisance or disorder in parts of town and city centres where all other voluntary and statutory approaches have been exhausted.
	ADZs are designed to allow police and local authorities to agree and implement an action plan with licensees in a designated area, subject to consultation, to tackle alcohol related crime and disorder linked to the misuse of alcohol in the public space. If the action plan is not implemented, charges can be levied for specified enforcement activity by statutory agencies including the police.

Serious Organised Crime Agency: Drug Seizures

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drugs seizures have been made by officers at the Serious Organised Crime Agency in each of the last two years.

Alan Campbell: The data below relate to individual seizures of Class A, B and C drugs, cutting agents and drugs precursor chemicals. If two different commodities are seized at the same time, that counts as two seizures.
	SOCA has no powers itself to seize drugs outside the UK, therefore interdictions overseas involve SOCA providing key intelligence and/or operational support to others, not undertaking the physical act itself. At home, SOCA works collaboratively with UK police forces, HMRC and the UK Border Agency. Decisions on the interdiction phases of such joint operational activity are made according to local or operational imperatives, including protecting the use of sensitive intelligence sources.
	
		
			  Seizures in SOCA operations 
			   UK  Abroad/at sea 
			 2007-08 186 360 
			 2008-09(1) 91 198 
			 (1) To 30 September 2008

Serious Organised Crime Agency: Finance

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget for the Serious Organised Crime Agency in 2008-09 is; and what proportion is committed to central administration.

Alan Campbell: In 2008-09, the Home Office near-cash allocation to SOCA is £404.5 million and the near-cash spend on general administration, as opposed to operational services, is £25.5 million (6.3 per cent.).

Serious Organised Crime Agency: Manpower

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people the Serious Organised Crime Agency employs; and what proportion are engaged in counter-narcotics activities.

Alan Campbell: The number of full-time equivalent staff employed by SOCA at 30 September 2008 was 3,976.
	For 2008-09 the SOCA Board has determined that SOCA should aim to apportion about 43 per cent. of its effort to tackling drug trafficking. As of 30 September 2008 the year to date figure exceeded 46 per cent. In addition, other activities undertaken by SOCA, such as work to tackle criminal finances and support given to partners, are helping to tackle this trade.

Shoplifting

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances records of shoplifting offences are kept.

Alan Campbell: Police are required to record allegations of crime in accordance with the National Crime Recording Standard and Home Office Counting Rules. These are both public documents available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/countrules.html
	Shoplifting is specifically covered under Classification 46 of the Home Office Counting Rules where it states that theft of any property within a shop whether or not it is for sale should be recorded as theft from a shop. Further advice on what constitutes a shop unit, legal definition of theft and appropriate examples are also included.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the maximum retention period is for data collected from automatic number plate recognition cameras operated by her Department and its agencies.

Alan Campbell: The current Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) policy states that automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) data should only be retained for as long as there is an operational need to do so.
	In general, ANPR data is retained for the first 90 days after collection, for viewing by authorised persons for post-crime interrogation and investigation. This enables investigations to use the ANPR tool to identify suspects, witnesses or patterns.
	Data that are more than 90-days-old may then be retained for up to two years. However, these data are partitioned from general viewing. There is a management mechanism in place which means that a senior officer (Superintendent or above) must authorise any access to data older than 90 days. This authorisation is restricted to serious crime and counter-terrorism investigations only.
	ACPO is currently revising its guidance around data retention in the light of advances with regard to the National ANPR Data Centre and the increased use of analytical software tools.

UK Border Agency: Manpower

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which  (a) grades and  (b) job descriptions in the UK Border Agency are operating at under their established complement.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency has not set staffing complements by  (a) grades or  (b) job descriptions. The UK Border Agency deploys its personnel according to operational need and business priorities, recruiting where necessary to ensure that there are sufficient employees to meet those needs within agreed budgets.
	The UK Border Agency's forecast for active workforce for 2008-09 was 17,700 full-time equivalent workers for the former Border and Immigration Agency, to which should now be added 2,300 UK Visas and 4,700 HMRC employees. The number of full-time equivalent active workforce equivalent to the 17,700, the former Border and Immigration Agency, at the end of September 2008 was 17,510.

UK Border Agency: Manpower

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the UK Border Agency and its predecessors spent on  (a) permanent and  (b) casual staff in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The amount that the UK Border Agency spent on full-time and casual staff in each of the last five years is shown in the following table. The computerised accounting system does not record the pay of casual staff as a separate item.
	
		
			  Financial year  Pay cost (£) 
			 2007-08 611,598,486.53 
			 2006-07 566,301,623.78 
			 2005-06 513,281,187.52 
			 2004-05 470,275,994

UK Border Agency: Manpower

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) permanent and  (b) casual staff have been employed by the UK Border Agency specifically to clear the immigration backlog; and at what cost.

Phil Woolas: The case resolution directorate (CRD) was set up to deal specifically with the backlog of cases. It has at present no casual staff and the number of full-time equivalent staff that have been employed there are shown in the following table. The budgeted operating costs for CRD for 2008-09 are £28.2 million.
	
		
			   Workforce( 1) 
			 30 September 2008 972.56(1) 
			 31 March 2008 1,013.06 
			 1 April 2007 838.71 
			 (1 )Full-time equivalent figures, excludes staff on career break, loan to other Government Departments, maternity leave, etc.  Note: Figures have been taken from the central HO personnel system ADELPHI.

Work Permits

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the effect of the introduction of the points-based system on the number of work permits issued to non UK nationals.

Phil Woolas: The Government have conducted detailed impact assessments on the proposals outlined in Statement of Intent on Tier 2 skilled Workers under the points based system. Tier 2 will replace the current Work Permit System on 27 November 2008.
	Analysis has shown that had Tier 2 of the points based system been in place last year, around 12 per cent. fewer skilled migrants from outside Europe would have been allowed in through the equivalent work permit route.
	Both the Statement of Intent and the Impact Assessment are available on the UK Border Agency website and in the Libraries of both Houses.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Airwave Service

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what organisations for which his Department is responsible  (a) use and  (b) are planning to use Airwave handsets.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has no plans to use Airwave handsets, and has no organisations for which we are responsible who either use or plan to use these handsets.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2008,  Official Report, column 211W, on departmental conditions of employment, how many employees at each location took their two week break away from post  (a) within their home country and  (b) outside their home country in each year since 2002.

Douglas Alexander: Employees working in Iraq and Afghanistan are entitled to a two week break away from post for every six weeks worked.
	During a posting, employees can use each breather break to either return to their home country or travel to an alternative location.
	The following table provides information on the number of visits taken in each of the last three years:
	
		
			   Two week break in home country  Two week break outside their home country 
			 2006(1) 45 17 
			 2007 60 38 
			 2008 61 34 
			 (1) Figures from Afghanistan are from March 2006 
		
	
	Information on previous years could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Relations

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer to my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram) of 23 October 2008,  Official Report, column 569W, on departmental public relations, what the purpose was of the communications division contract in 2007-08; and to which organisation the contract was given.

Douglas Alexander: The contract was given to Munro and Forster Communications Ltd, and was for a range of marketing activities aimed at raising awareness among the UK public of the importance of trade and development for reducing poverty.

Lebanon: Asylum

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with  (a) his Department's international partners and  (b) non-governmental organisations on the reconstruction of the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp in Lebanon.

Michael Foster: The UK was represented at the donor pledging conference for the reconstruction of the Nahr el-Bared Refugee Camp on 23 June and committed $1 million. The Department for International Development (DFID) has been in contact with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as the agency tasked with leading the response, in recent weeks to discuss the reconstruction, humanitarian situation and how far donors have responded. DFID is providing £100 million over five years from 2007 to support UNRWA's operations in the region of which approximately £4 million is annually allocated to Lebanon. DFID also engages with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Nahr el-Bared and in Lebanon more broadly. ICRC are one of the key partners providing water to the camp.
	The British embassy in Beirut attends UNRWA monthly meetings and ad hoc briefings with other EU donors, most recently in October. The ambassador is in contact with UNRWA and last had an update from the new head of its Lebanon operations on 23 October.

Rwanda: Overseas Aid

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures are in place to ensure that his Department's aid to the Republic of Rwanda is spent on those purposes for which it was intended.

Ivan Lewis: Our aid to the Republic of Rwanda is driven by a bilateral development partnership agreement (MOU). This requires the continuous commitment of the Rwandan Government to reducing poverty, honouring international obligations and respecting human rights, and strengthening financial management and accountability. These commitments are monitored closely by staff in-country and any breech could lead to suspension of our programme.
	The majority of our aid in Rwanda is in the form of budget support and we monitor how this is spent in great detail. This involves close examination of both budget allocations and budget execution performance. Budget allocations are approved by budget support donors in advance of the passage of the budget law through the Cabinet and Parliament which ensures our money is spent on its intended purpose. Additional safeguards are provided by the examination of audited government accounts, and by periodic public expenditure reviews and public expenditure tracking surveys.
	The impact of the resources spent is monitored annually using a broad based common performance assessment framework (CPAF) which has indicators on poverty and development, service delivery, and governance. The CPAF derives its information from surveys and management information systems, and is used by all budget support donors to monitor progress of the implementation of the Government of Rwanda's PRSP (the economic development and poverty reduction strategy (EDPRS)).

Yemen: Floods

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of people  (a) killed and  (b) displaced by the recent flooding in Yemen.

Michael Foster: The Yemeni Ministry of Planning and International Co-operation has estimated that 184 people lost their lives as a result of the floods in south-eastern Yemen from 23 to 25 October 2008, and that 25,000 people were displaced in Hadramaut Governorate alone. There are currently no figures available for the less-affected areas of Chaboua and Al Mahrah. Overall, however, there is little clarity on the exact numbers of those affected.

Yemen: Floods

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what humanitarian assistance his Department has provided to Southern Yemen following the recent flooding in the region; and what steps he plans to take to prevent loss of life.

Michael Foster: At present, there is still little clarity about the exact impact of the flooding in south-eastern Yemen on 23 to 25 October 2008, and about the gaps in humanitarian assistance already provided. Early reports suggest that immediate humanitarian needs are being met by the Government of Yemen, and UN agencies and NGOs are already active on the ground and providing emergency relief. A number of Gulf States have already made substantial contributions, including Saudi Arabia which has pledged $100 million.
	A UN rapid humanitarian assessment team is due to report back on relief and recovery needs to the Government of Yemen and the international community on 6 November. At this stage, a decision may be taken on whether to launch an emergency appeal for assistance. DFID is in close contact with partners in Yemen, and stands ready to respond to this appeal if necessary. We are also monitoring other ongoing humanitarian needs in Yemen, including the impact of higher food prices and the conflict in Sa'dah earlier this year.

Yemen: Politics and Government

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what consideration he has given to the establishment of an assessment team to report on the humanitarian situation in Yemen similar to the one sent to assess the situation in Sri Lanka; and under what circumstances such assessment teams are deployed.

Michael Foster: Following the floods in eastern Yemen from 23 to 25 October 2008, the Department for International Development (DFID) stands ready to provide assistance in response to requests from the Government of Yemen and the United Nations. DFID has not sent its own assessment team to the region, because we are able to rely on reports from UN, the World Bank and NGOs. These organisations are already active in affected areas and have good access to the region. They have sent rapid assessment teams to assess immediate and long term needs; the first of these by the UN Resident Co-ordinator will report back to the Government of Yemen and the international community on 6 November.
	Unlike in Sri Lanka, DFID already has an office in country, and our staff are in close contact with the Government of Yemen, the UN and other organisations involved in the relief process.
	Decisions to deploy DFID humanitarian assessment teams are made on a case-by-case basis, but we take into account the nature and scale of humanitarian needs, the personal security of the DFID team, and the activities of other international organisations on the ground.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Building Regulations: Water

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to publish the results of the consultation on changes to Part G (Hygiene) of the Building Regulations 2000.

Iain Wright: The analysis of the responses to the Part G consultation is now complete. I am to ensure that the report on the consultation setting out the responses will be published later this month.

Community Relations: Gloucester

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what preventing violent extremism funding has been made available for Gloucester.

John Healey: Gloucester city council will receive £100,000 in funding in 2010-11 through their area based grant.

Council Housing: Rents

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reason she proposes that local authority rents should rise to levels set by registered social landlords; and if she will make it her policy to return to pooled historic cost averaging as a basis for rent fixing.

Iain Wright: Rent restructuring has been in place since 2002. Prior to its introduction there was no standard method of setting rents in England, leading to very different rents being charged between neighbouring local authorities and between local authorities and housing associations in the same local area, with no clear justification.
	Although we are encouraging social landlords to adopt the reforms, individual housing associations and local authorities remain responsible for rent setting. They can set whatever rents they consider reasonable in discussion with their tenants.
	Rent restructuring is intended to make rent setting fair and transparent, it aims to keep rents affordable, well below those in the private sector, and at similar levels for similar properties.
	Rents and rent-setting policy is one of the items being looked at as part of our Review of Council Housing Finance. We do not intend to revisit rent policy before this review is complete.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of employees in her Department  (a) are on a flexible working contract,  (b) are on a job share employment contract and  (c) work from home for more than four hours per week.

Hazel Blears: All staff in Communities and Local Government can choose to work flexibly, should they so wish. We are committed to flexible working and our flexible working policy sets out a presumption in favour of flexible working patterns—the onus is on the line management to demonstrate where part-time or home working is not appropriate.
	The Department does not at present hold data on the specific details of flexible working such as job sharing and home working. We are, however, putting systems in place at present, to record this data electronically.

Housing Starts

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of council houses which will be built in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11; and what steps she plans to take to increase the rate of council house building.

Iain Wright: We have announced our intention to change the revenue and capital rules which apply to new council homes in order to remove financial disincentives to new build by local authorities. On 2 September we announced that we will invite all stock-owning local authorities to compete for grant on the same terms as those with special purpose vehicles, in addition to those who have ALMOs or have set up Special Purpose Vehicles for this purpose.
	We have also introduced other measures to make it easier for councils to build and acquire new homes. Section 313 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 provides that councils can keep the full rental income from new council homes (including newly built and newly acquired properties).
	We expect to consult shortly on the use of section 313 power and the capital receipts regulations which aim to enable councils to benefit in full from rental income or sales receipts from properties that have been built or acquired since this planned change to these rules.
	The Government do not publish forecasts for house-building.

Housing: Construction

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new build homes were constructed by local authorities in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: The following table shows the number of new build dwellings completed by local authorities in each year since 1997.
	
		
			   Number of dwellings 
			 1997 290 
			 1998 250 
			 1999 50 
			 2000 100 
			 2001 170 
			 2002 170 
			 2003 180 
			 2004 140 
			 2005 180 
			 2006 290 
			 2007 350 
			 2008 200 
			  Source: New build completions from P2 monthly and quarterly returns submitted by local authorities. The local authority level figures are as reported and do not include estimates for missing returns.

Housing: Low Incomes

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many social homes there are in North Devon constituency; and how many there were in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many people are on waiting lists for social housing in North Devon constituency.

Iain Wright: Information on the number of social dwellings owned by registered social landlords (RSLs) and local authorities are published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 115 and Table 116 respectively at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/140879.xls
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/140882.xls
	Information is not available at constituency level, but North Devon falls within North Devon local authority area. All social dwellings in North Devon are owned by RSLs, though the local authority reported two dwellings in 2004-05 and one dwelling in 2005-06 in their Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) annual return. The number on number of social dwellings owned by registered social landlords from 2002 to 2006 is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Dwelling stock owned by registered social landlord 2002-06 
			  Number of self-contained units/bedspaces 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 North Devon 3,655 4,192 4,174 4,219 4,213 
			 Source: Housing Corporation via the annual Regulatory and Statistical Return (RSR)(as found in CLG live table 115) 
		
	
	Information about social housing waiting lists is collected in respect of households rather than individuals. Where local authorities and registered social landlords operate a common register, households registered with the RSL will be included in the data. However, registered social landlords are independent bodies and can keep their own waiting lists. Information on the number of households on local authorities' waiting lists broken down by Government office region and local authority for 1997 to 2007 is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 600 at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/144458.xls.
	Copies of this table have been deposited in the Library of the House.
	At 1 April 2007, the number of households on the local authority housing waiting list in North Devon was 4,340.
	Local authorities in England report the number of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns.
	The size of the waiting list is not an indicator of absolute need; it is only useful as a broad indicator of housing demand in an area. Not everyone on the waiting list is necessarily in urgent housing need. The waiting list includes those who consider social housing as their preferred or one of a number of housing options, and those who decide to get onto the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move house.

Housing: Standards

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities she expects will fail to meet the decent homes target by 2010; and how many authorities have informed her Department that they are selling council housing in order to raise funding to meet the target.

Iain Wright: Details of when we expect each local authority to deliver decent homes were provided in my answer of 28 October 2008,  Official Report, column 946W.
	Decisions relating to the management of, and investment in, council housing stock are matters entirely for the local authority.
	In 2007-08, of the 218 authorities who still operated a Housing Revenue Account 154 undertook some voluntary sale of dwellings to create a capital receipt. We do not hold any systematic data on how many of these used these receipts to invest in delivering decent homes.
	The only systematic records we hold are where an authority creates a useable capital receipt from the voluntary sale (not a sale through RTB) of dwellings held within the HRA we do not systematically record precisely what they have used the receipt for—however if the authority wishes to retain the full receipt, rather than returning 50 per cent. to the Secretary of State for pooling, the receipt must be invested in either affordable housing or regeneration but this does not necessarily mean it is used to deliver decent homes.
	We do not hold any data on which local authorities are planning to dispose of dwellings in order to create a capital receipt.

Housing: Standards

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the number of  (a) social sector households and  (b) vulnerable households in the private sector living in accommodation below the decent homes standards in each year since 1996.

Iain Wright: The number of social sector, and private sector vulnerable households, living in non-decent homes 1996-2006 is provided in the table. Vulnerable households are households in receipt of at least one of the principal means tested or disability related benefits. These figures were published in the English House Condition Survey 2006: Headline Report in January 2008.
	These figures are based on the original definition of decent homes incorporating the fitness standard as the statutory component.
	The fitness standard was replaced by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System in 2006 and the latter was incorporated in the updated definition of decent homes for that year. However, figures are only available for 2006 using the updated definition.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of social sector and private sector vulnerable households living in non-decent homes, 1996-2006 
			   Social sector households  Private sector vulnerable households 
			   Number ( Thousand )  Percentage  Number ( Thousand )  Percentage 
			 1996 2,318 52.6 1,433 57.1 
			 2001 1,647 38.9 1,151 42.7 
			 2003 1,442 35.4 1,056 37.2 
			 2004 1,252 31.3 1,033 34.5 
			 2005 1,162 29.2 1,071 33.9 
			 2006 1,131 28.7 1,012 32.0 
			  Note: Decent homes definition incorporating fitness as the statutory component.  Source: English House Condition Survey, 2006

Housing: Standards

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many residential properties are classed as uninhabitable in each  (a) region and  (b) local authority area.

Iain Wright: This information requested is not held centrally.

Second Homes: Cornwall

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what percentage of homes in Cornwall are registered as second homes.

John Healey: There were 13,201 properties registered as second homes for council tax purposes in Cornwall in October 2007. This is 5.4 per cent. of the total number of dwellings in Cornwall at that time.
	The data are from a snapshot taken each year and are as recorded, in council tax base returns submitted annually, by each local authority.

Shared Ownership Schemes

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding her Department has allocated for shared ownership schemes for key workers in  (a) 2010-11,  (b) 2011-12 and  (c) 2012-13.

Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne (Julia Goldsworthy) on 28 October 2008,  Official Report, column 951W.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his objectives are for military action in Helmand province in  (a) the next three months,  (b) the next six months and  (c) the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: I am withholding details of our short term military objectives for operational security reasons. However, all military action in Helmand is fully integrated as part of the comprehensive approach. This also includes, as stated by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 12 December 2007,  Official Report, column 303, a long-term framework for security, political, social and economic development for Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many flights transporting service personnel to Britain from theatre in Afghanistan have been  (a) cancelled and  (b) delayed in each year since 2006.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table shows the punctuality statistics for RAF Tristar passenger flights returning from Kandahar, Afghanistan to Brize Norton. Unlike the civil air sector which measures departure punctuality the MOD chooses to measure the punctuality of arrival at the destination airfield, in this case Brize Norton.
	
		
			   Number of flights  On time( 1)  Between  one to three  hours of schedule  Delayed between  three  to  six  hours of schedule  Delayed o ver six  hours 
			 14 February 2006 to 31 December 2006 (date reflects start of service in 2006) 156 88 20 10 38 
			 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007 225 164 23 8 30 
			 1 January 2008 to 31 October 2008 215 121 27 30 37 
			 (1) Defined as within one hour of schedule 
		
	
	Flights will only be cancelled from the schedule if the requirement ceases. Potential causes of delay include bad weather, technical delays to ensure flight safety and the need to divert aero-medical cases direct to Birmingham airport. In the event of a protracted delay, where practicable, an alternative means will be found to move passengers.

Airwave Service

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what organisations for which his Department is responsible  (a) use and  (b) are planning to use Airwave handsets.

Quentin Davies: The following Defence organisations currently use Airwave handsets:
	British armed forces units based in the UK mainland (for operations, security, policing, health and safety purposes);
	MOD Police and Guarding Agency (MOD Police and MOD Guard Service);
	Nuclear Accident Response Organisation (NARO) (covering all MOD nuclear sites).
	In addition, allied forces based in or transiting through the UK mainland with functions identical to MOD organisations that use Airwave handsets could potentially use Airwave handsets in the future. Airwave might also be used in the context of military prisoner transportation, armaments transportation and Defence medical services.

Armed Forces: Discharges

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel have been discharged on medical grounds in each year since 2001.

Kevan Jones: The number of service personnel medically discharged each year since 2001 is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Naval service, Army and RAF medical discharges, numbers( 1)  2001-07 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Naval service(2) 415 390 320 380 395 355 350 
			 Army 1,035 1,020 1,000 1,085 1,045 1,010 1,000 
			 RAF 185 135 250 200 205 240 230 
			 (1) Numbers may not add up to the sum of their parts due to rounding. (2) Includes the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines 
		
	
	The processes for administering a medical discharge differ between the three services and as a consequence the numbers have been presented by service rather than annual tri-service totals.

Armed Forces: Uniforms

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the outcome of the meeting with clothing specialists held in his Department on 23 October 2008 was; and what progress has been made in finding a substitute for bearskin caps.

Quentin Davies: The industry day held on 23 October to assess the market's appetite and capability to develop a faux fur replacement for the bearskin cap was attended by six companies. The industry representatives were able to gain a clear understanding of the technical challenges involved, and expressed a keenness to contribute to a successful outcome if at all possible.
	MOD intends to place a development contract with one or more suppliers through competition. An invitation to tender is likely to be issued early in 2009 with contract award likely to be mid 2009. Due to the complexities of producing a faux fur with no discernable difference from real bear fur in appearance and behaviour, it is possible that development and trialling by the customer may take longer.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 29 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 28-30WS, on protected mobility, if he will break down by category of expenditure the cost of each armoured vehicle type.

Quentin Davies: Contract negotiations for the procurement of new vehicles are still to be finalised and I am therefore unable to confirm the exact cost of each acquisition, although the costs are expected to be in the region of:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Additional Jackal 75 
			 Warthog 140 
			 Panther Theatre Entry Standard modifications 20 
			 Snatch Vixen upgrade 30 
			 Coyote 65 
			 Husky 170 
			 Wolfhound 120 
		
	
	We have also approved £96 million for the Talisman system which will include Buffalo, Mastiff and High Mobility Engineer Excavators. In addition, the Department has already approved £109 million for Jackal, £270 million for Mastiff and £188 million for Ridgback.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 29 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 28-30WS, on protected mobility, what the source is of the £100 million his Department proposes to pay for the new armoured vehicles.

Quentin Davies: The MOD will contribute £128 million towards the protected mobility package through a limited re-prioritisation of its Equipment Programme funding.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) Wolfhound,  (b) Coyote and  (c) Husky armoured vehicles will be included in the package announced on 29 October.

Quentin Davies: The strategy for the procurement of the vehicles is still to be finalised. We expect to purchase around 95 Wolfhound, 260 Husky and 80 Coyote Vehicles.

Army: Deployment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average tour interval for each battalion of the infantry was in the most recent period for which information is available.

Bob Ainsworth: Historical data to support the calculation of average tour intervals for each infantry battalion is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The current tour intervals for individual infantry battalions are shown, giving an average tour interval of 22 months for the infantry as a whole.
	
		
			  Unit deployed  Last operational deployment (as a unit)  Start date  Previous operational deployment (as a unit)  End date  Last unit tour interval (months) 
			  Infantry  
			 1(st) Battalion Grenadier Guards Afghanistan May 2007 Iraq September 2006 8 
			 1(st) Battalion Coldstream Guards Afghanistan October 2007 Iraq October 2005 23 
			   
			 1(st) Battalion Scots Guards Iraq December 2007 Iraq April 2005 31 
			   
			 1(st) Battalion Irish Guards Iraq June 2007 Northern Ireland March 2004 38 
			   
			 1(st) Battalion Welsh Guards Balkans October 2006 Iraq April 2005 17 
			   
			 1(st) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland(1) Iraq December 2007 Iraq May 2006 17 
			 2(nd) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland Afghanistan April 2008 Iraq December 2005 29 
			 3(rd) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland Iraq July 2004 Iraq June 2003 12 
			 4(th) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland Iraq June 2008 Iraq May 2006 25 
			 5(th) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland Afghanistan April 2008 Balkans October 2005 29 
			   
			 1(st) Battalion The Princess Of Wales' Royal Regiment Iraq May 2006 Iraq October 2004 18 
			 2(nd) Battalion The Princess Of Wales' Royal Regiment Iraq January 2005 Northern Ireland December 2003 12 
			   
			 1(st) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Iraq June 2008 Iraq May 2006 25 
			 2(nd) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Northern Ireland April 2003 Northern Ireland June 2002 9 
			   
			 1(st) Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment Afghanistan May 2007 Iraq October 2005 18 
			 2(nd) Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment Iraq June 2008 Iraq October 2006 20 
			   
			 1(st) Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment(2) Iraq December 2007 n/a —  
			 2(nd) Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment(2) Iraq November 2006 n/a —  
			   
			 1(st) Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment Iraq November 2006 Balkans September 2004 25 
			 2(nd) Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment Afghanistan October 2007 Balkans September 2006 13 
			 3(rd) Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment Iraq November 2004 Balkans June 2001 40 
			   
			 1(st) Battalion The Royal Welsh Cyprus (Theatre Reserve Battalion) May 2007 Northern Ireland January 2006 15 
			 2(nd) Battalion The Royal Welsh Iraq June 2007 Iraq October 2005 19 
			   
			 1(st) Battalion The Mercian Regiment Iraq December 2007 Iraq October 2004 37 
			 2(nd) Battalion The Mercian Regiment Afghanistan May 2007 Afghanistan April 2005 24 
			 3(rd) Battalion The Mercian Regiment Iraq November 2006 Iraq October 2005 12 
			   
			 1(st) Battalion The Rifles(3) Iraq November 2006 Afghanistan October 2008 24 
			 2(nd) Battalion The Rifles Iraq November 2006 Northern Ireland September 2004 25 
			 3(rd) Battalion The Rifles Iraq September 2006 Northern Ireland March 2005 17 
			 4(th) Battalion The Rifles Iraq June 2007 Balkans October 2001 67 
			 5(th) Battalion The Rifles Iraq May 2006 Iraq April 2004 24 
			   
			 1(st) Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment Afghanistan April 2008 Iraq December 2005 29 
			   
			 2(nd) Battalion The Parachute Regiment Afghanistan April 2008 Iraq April 2006 24 
			 3(rd) Battalion The Parachute Regiment Afghanistan April 2008 Afghanistan October 2006 18 
			   
			 1(st) Battalion The Royal Gurkha Regiment Afghanistan October 2007 Balkans March 2006 18 
			 2(nd) Battalion The Royal Gurkha Regiment Afghanistan October 2008 Afghanistan October 2005 37 
			 (1) 1 RS and 1 KOSB amalgamated to form 1 SCOTS in August 2006. 1 SCOTS deployed for the first time as a formed unit to Iraq in December 2007. (2) 1 KORBR, 1 KINGS and QLR amalgamated in July 2006 to form 1 LANCS and 2 LANCS. Because of the nature of this amalgamation it is not representative to carry forward the unit deployments of 1 KORBR, 1 KINGS and QLR to 1 LANCS and 2 LANCS. (3) 1 RGBW and 1 DDLI amalgamated in March 2007 to form 1 RIFLES. 1 RIFLES has deployed for the first time as a formed unit in October 2008 on Herrick 9.

Army: Finance

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated capitation cost for a  (a) regular infantry battalion and  (b) regular infantry brigade was in the latest period for which information is available.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 10 November 2008
	The estimated annual capitation costs for an infantry battalion ranges between £19 million and £22 million depending on the battalion's role. This has been calculated using the capitation rates for financial year 2008-09; and covers the pay, national insurance and pension contribution costs incurred by the Department.
	Brigades are either Light (including Air Assault and Commando), Mechanised or Armoured. All brigades deploy with infantry, but also include a range of other capabilities, which will vary according to requirements of specific operations. Capitation costs for a regular infantry brigade are therefore not readily available.

Colombia: Armed Forces

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any of the personnel of the 15th Santander Infantry Battalion of the Colombian Army have received British training; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: As I have made clear in previous answers, the Ministry of Defence does not provide training to whole units such as the 15th Santander Infantry Battalion of the Colombian Army. It is possible, however, that individuals trained by the UK in human rights and humanitarian demining have gone on to serve in any part of the Colombian armed forces, including in this battalion.

Defence: Procurement

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what his latest estimate is of expenditure for urgent operational requirements in 2008-09;
	(2)  with reference to the answer of 2 June 2008,  Official Report, column 679W, on departmental finance, by what means the figure of  (a) £900 million for urgent operational requirements for 2008-09 referred to in the Answer and  (b) £1,065 million referred to in paragraph 7 of the Government's response to the Defence Committee's Report on the Ministry of Defence Main Estimates 2008-09 was calculated; what the reasons are for the difference in the figures; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: The £900 million figure referred to for urgent operational requirements (UORs) was agreed with HM Treasury in autumn 2007 as the estimate for Reserve expenditure on UORs in FY 2008-09. This estimate was based on a forecast of UOR rates along with the known UOR pipeline of requirements.
	We agreed at the time that any predicted spend from FY 2007-08 that did not accrue in year should be allowed in FY 2008-09 in addition to the £900 million without penalty.
	Later, in the Main Estimate, we predicted our overall cash requirement, having taken into account some predicted rollover, as £1,065 million.
	The latest estimate for UOR expenditure for FY 2008-09 is around £l billion. This falls comfortably within the prediction.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) hits and  (b) visitors his Department's website received in the 2007-08 financial year.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence and armed forces collectively maintain four corporate websites. Statistics for the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 are as follows:
	
		
			FY 2007-08 
			  Website  URL  Page hits (views)  Unique visitors 
			 MOD corporate website www.mod.uk 25,879,449 4,336,104 
			 Royal Navy www.royalnavy.mod.uk 39,856,043 4,369,726 
			 British Army www.army.mod.uk 71,028,217 8,472,991 
			 Royal Air Force www.raf.mod.uk 56,607,751 6,2l6,030 
		
	
	Page hits (views) are provided, rather than hits, as they are a more accurate metric.

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in each of the last 36 months.

John Hutton: As with all goods and services procured by the MOD, when buying in external public relations and marketing services, robust principles are applied which include securing best value for money; ensuring probity and accountability; enabling competition wherever possible; and ensuring compliance with the relevant provisions of UK and EU law.
	Specifically in relation to external public relations and marketing services, the MOD has made payments to the following company in the Public Relations Framework as follows:
	
		
			  Biss Lancaster 
			   £ 
			 2005-06 120,000 
			 2006-07 500,000 
			 2007-08 200,000 
		
	
	These figures exclude VAT, and are rounded to the nearest £10,000. They reflect transactions made by the MOD's central Financial Management Shared Service Centre, which handles about 95 per cent. of all MOD payments. Payments not included are those which may have been made (a) on behalf of other Government Departments, (b) by the MOD's trading funds (which lie outside the MOD's accounting boundary), (c) locally by the Department, or (d) in relation to collaborative projects where the payments are made through international procurement agencies or overseas Governments.

EU Battlegroups: Military Exercises

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many members of 4 Rifles have completed the EU Battlegroup certification process; and  (a) on what date and  (b) at what location the certification exercise took place;
	(2)  how many members of 4 Rifles participated in the Druid's Dance exercise between 28 April and 18 May 2008.

Bob Ainsworth: 607 members of 4 Battalion The Rifles (4 Rifles) have recently completed the EU Battlegroup certification process. The process comprises a Unit/Battlegroup combined arms formation exercise (Druid's Dance) which was completed between 1 September and 21 September on Salisbury Plain Training Area and a Unit/Battlegroup validation exercise (FIRST FLIGHT) which was conducted between 30 September and 1 October at the Joint Air Mounting Centre, South Cerney.
	No members of 4 Rifles participated in exercise Druid's Dance between 28 April and 18 May 2008.

Galileo

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on a military application for the Galileo global satellite navigational system.

Bob Ainsworth: The UK has no military requirement for Galileo, which is a civil system under civil control.

Minesweepers

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which vehicles make up the Talisman project currently subject to an urgent operational requirement; and what the in-service date of the project is.

Quentin Davies: Talisman is a project which will deliver a system of vehicles, sensors and techniques to counter improvised explosive devices. In doing this, the system will better enable safe movement along routes in Afghanistan.
	Initially the system will include three vehicle types: Mastiff, Buffalo and High Mobility Engineer Excavator.
	Talisman is scheduled for initial fielding during late 2009, although its development will continue beyond that point.

Royal Military Academy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the capacity for  (a) regular and  (b) Territorial Army commissions at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst was in each year since 2001; and how many places were unfilled in each year.

Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Statement of trained requirement  Output from training 
			  2001-02   
			 Regular 770 714 
			 TA 450 257 
			  2002-03   
			 Regular 780 720 
			 TA 440 261 
			
			  2003-04   
			 Regular 760 713 
			 TA 440 287 
			
			  2004-05   
			 Regular 740 746 
			 TA 390 195 
			
			  2005-06   
			 Regular 824 752 
			 TA 490 115 
			
			  2006-07   
			 Regular 841 707 
			 TA 360 172 
			
			  2007-08   
			 Regular 832 712 
			 TA 450 217 
		
	
	The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) is resourced to train the number of officers needed to meet the Army's manpower liability each year—this figure is known as the statement of training requirement (SOTR) and is set by the Director of Manning (Army). The total bed space capacity at RMAS for regular and TA officer cadets is 1,100.

Warrior Armoured Vehicle

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many injuries to service personnel have resulted from the Warrior chain gun firing undemanded since 2000.

Bob Ainsworth: There have been four confirmed cases of the Warrior chain gun firing un-demanded since 2000. One of these cases resulted in an injury to a serviceman.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Research

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent research he has made of the adequacy of levels of Government spending on research into agriculture and the food chain.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA has recently commissioned a study "Survey of external capabilities to meet DEFRA's strategic aims" which is considering capability needs now and into the future, across the breadth of the Department's research requirements. Earlier this year, a one-day Agriculture Research Funding Conference and an Evidence Strategy Workshop run for DEFRA's Chief Scientific Adviser brought together key stakeholders, agriculture, food and environmental research scientists and funders. The study report together with recommendations from these workshops will be used to influence future planning and strategic evidence management and the revision of DEFRA's Evidence and Innovation Strategy.

Agriculture: Waste Disposal

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the sum received from farmers by the Environment Agency for  (a) disposal of agricultural waste,  (b) groundwater authorisation for disposal of sheep dip and pesticides and  (c) integrated pollution prevention control for pig and poultry units above the specified thresholds in each of the last three years; what estimate he has made of the proportion of farm income paid in such fees in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Environment Agency has registered more than 600,000 agricultural waste exemptions at an estimated 91,000 farms which are not subject to a fee.
	Groundwater authorisations relate to agricultural activities such as the disposal of used sheep dip or pesticide washings. The number of authorisations is decreasing due to changes in farmers' practice. The Environment Agency received the following in each of the last three years in England:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07 775,387.21 
			 2007-08 733,547.87 
			 2008-09 709,735.73 
		
	
	Intensive livestock installations over the relevant size thresholds were required to apply for permits for the first time in the period December 2006 to February 2007. The majority of these applications were made in 2006-07, but the Environment Agency estimates that 25 per cent. of the applications were late and the application charges paid in 2007-08. Subsistence charges become due when permits have been issued and are charged pro rata for the period of the first financial year after issue.
	Estimated charges for the last three years in England and Wales are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Application fees  Subsistence fees  Total 
			 2006-07 2,500 48,650.86 2,548,650.80 
			 2007-08 850,000 1,098,490.51 2,798,490.51 
			 2008-09(1) 0 2,411,609.15 2,411,609.15 
			 (1) Figures for 2008-09 are to date

Air Pollution

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evaluation he has made of the effectiveness of local schemes for improving air quality.

Jane Kennedy: Under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995, local authorities are required to work towards the air quality objectives contained in the Air Quality Regulations 2000. DEFRA receives action plans and progress reports as part of the consultation process required of local authorities, and the effectiveness of local measures is evaluated as part of this process according to the specific circumstances of each local authority. Local authorities will also be required to report on emissions of particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen from their estates and operations by 31 July 2009, under national indicator 194.
	DEFRA also undertakes its own air quality monitoring across a number of national networks. Information on these, as well as information on local authorities with air quality management areas and an annual report on DEFRA's air quality monitoring activities, is available in the Air Quality Archive at:
	www.airquality.co.uk.

Bees: Disease Control

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of alternative treatments for the varroa mite in Scotland.

Jane Kennedy: Scotland's disease control functions are a matter for the Scottish Parliament.

Biofuels

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of crops has been used for biofuel production in the last three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government do not hold data on the percentage of crops used for biofuel production. Professor Gallagher, Chair of the Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA), was asked to carry out a review of the wider effects of biofuel production earlier this year. This review refers to a 2008 study by CE Delft which estimated that around 1 per cent. of the total 1,500 million hectares currently estimated to be in use for cropland globally is being used for biofuel production(1).
	Under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation the RFA collects information from biofuel suppliers about feedstocks and land use for biofuels supplied in the UK. It is expected that these data can contribute towards future estimates of crop use for biofuels.
	(1) Source:
	The Gallagher Review of the indirect effects of biofuels production: Page 30.

Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to source vaccines to combat BTV6.

Jane Kennedy: There is no vaccine currently licensed for use against Bluetongue virus serotype 6 (BTV-6) in Europe. DEFRA is in discussion with potential vaccine providers, the veterinary profession and industry stakeholders about plans for 2009.
	Meanwhile DEFRA is pressing for strict control measures to contain the threat of BTV-6 and other BTV serotypes in the EU, and will continue to conduct post-import tests on all imported animals for all Bluetongue serotypes.
	We also have an agreed policy for controlling incursions of any new serotypes under the existing Bluetongue Control Strategy, published last year, and which is being updated in the light of this year's experience.

Vaccination

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many doses of the BTV8 vaccine the Government has bought since October 2007.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA has placed orders for 35.5 million doses of BTV8 vaccine; 28 million for use in England and 7.5 million for Wales. The first order for 22.5 million doses was placed on 1 November 2007 with a further 13 million doses ordered on 11 June 2008. In keeping with the principles set out in the Bluetongue vaccination plan, livestock keepers in the protection zone can purchase vaccine through their private vets. BTV8 vaccine has been available since May 2008.

Vaccination

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the take-up rate of the BTV8 vaccine has been in the last 12 months.

Jane Kennedy: Vaccination against Bluetongue in England and Wales is voluntary, and delivered through existing veterinary medicine supply chains, an approach agreed with the livestock industry to ensure the simple, rapid roll-out of vaccine to protect animals earlier this year. Because the approach to vaccination is voluntary, no definitive figures can be provided on the numbers of livestock actually vaccinated.
	However, to date, sales data from the supply chain suggest the overall uptake of vaccine across the whole of England is around 60 per cent. Initial vaccine uptake was high—reaching between 80 per cent. and 90 per cent. in the South East and East of England, but uptake in the counties of northern England and in Wales has been lower.

Vaccination

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to sell unused BTV8 vaccines held by his Department before their expiration date.

Jane Kennedy: Vaccination against Bluetongue in England and Wales is voluntary, and delivered through existing veterinary medicine supply chains, an approach agreed earlier this year with the livestock industry to ensure the simple, rapid roll-out of vaccine to protect animals. Supplies of vaccine are still available to farmers who have not yet vaccinated this year; they are advised to contact their private vet to place orders.
	The 2009 vaccination strategy for Bluetongue serotype eight is currently being discussed with stakeholders. This includes consideration of the role the existing surplus can play in meeting future demand before the vaccine expires. Further details will be announced following these discussions with the expectation that the vaccination plan will be published by December of this year. This will be made available on the DEFRA website.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how may cases there have been of stockholders refusing to have animals slaughtered when they have been diagnosed with bovine tuberculosis in the last 12 months.

Jane Kennedy: Some stockholders do, at least initially, resist Government efforts to remove and slaughter cattle that have reacted positively to a diagnostic test for bovine TB. However, after discussing their options with officials from Animal Health, almost all such stockholders agree to the removal of their test positive cattle.
	Our records indicate that, in the last 12 months, 66 stockholders refused to allow their test positive animals to be removed. In 55 of these cases the TB positive animals have now been removed with the owners' agreement—leaving 11 cases yet to be resolved.

Coastal Areas: Flood Control

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what cost benefit analysis his Department has commissioned on the building and maintenance of coastal defences for Norfolk; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA is funding the development of revised Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) covering the English coastline. There are three SMPs for the Norfolk coast, which are currently being prepared by the Environment Agency and local authorities. These plans will present the suggested long term management policies for the coast. They include a broad assessment of the economic viability of these policies.
	In the event that the Environment Agency or local authority request national funding for strategies and works to implement coastal policies, a detailed cost benefit analysis must be undertaken that demonstrates best value for money.

Domestic Wastes

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what role the Waste and Resources Action Programme has in relation to proposed charges for the collection of household waste, with particular reference to waste authorities.

Jane Kennedy: As part of its general support to local authorities, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) will offer advice to those authorities that seek it, about the available options for incentive schemes.

Environment Protection: Coastal Areas

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate he made of the number of  (a) homes and  (b) business premises at risk from coastal erosion in each region;
	(2)  what estimate he made of the area of farmland at risk from coastal erosion in each region.

Jane Kennedy: The Environment Agency is mapping those areas at risk from coastal erosion around the country. Their findings will not differentiate between farmland and other types of land or between residential and commercial properties in locations vulnerable to coastal erosion.

Fly Tipping

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many incidents of fly tipping in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire were reported in each of the last five years; and how many people were prosecuted in each year for such offences.

Jane Kennedy: The number of fly-tipping incidents and enforcement actions taken are recorded at local authority level. DEFRA does not hold specific figures for the town of Hemel Hempstead.
	The total figures recorded by the 10 district and borough councils within Hertfordshire for the four years for which data are available are as follows:
	
		
			   Incidents  Prosecutions 
			 2004-05 15,463 36 
			 2005-06 13,344 18 
			 2006-07 12,422 14 
			 2007-08 15,478 17 
		
	
	Prosecution is one of a range of enforcement actions which may be taken by a local authority, including warning letters, serving of statutory notices, fixed penalty notices and formal cautions.

Genetically Modified Organisms: International Co-operation

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the objectives of the Government were at the meetings of 17 July and 10 October 2008 with EU representatives on genetically-modified crops; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: These meetings were convened on behalf of Commissioner Barroso to facilitate discussion on the operation of the EU assessment and decision-making process for GM crops and foods. We have expressed our view that the EU regime is robust enough to ensure that human health and the environment will not be compromised, but that there is need to avoid unnecessary and unjustified delays in reaching decisions on proposed GM products. In particular, we have highlighted our concern that the slow operation of the EU regime could lead to serious problems with the import of animal protein feed, on which UK and EU livestock farmers are dependent.

Glass: Recycling

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to increase the amount of glass recycled by restaurants and bars; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Government funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is working on this issue. WRAP has started a project to measure the volume of glass going into the hospitality sector and the volume being recovered. This project will also identify examples of best practice that can be used to promote glass recycling in the sector. Data on glass being recovered have been estimated from a number of sources, but the early results suggest that less than 20 per cent. of the glass entering the sector is recovered for any form of recycling. The next phase of this project will be to develop a voluntary agreement which asks the sector to commit to glass recycling. This will include discussions with glass processors to ensure that the increased glass tonnage can be diverted back into bottle recycling.

Incinerators

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effects on human health of modern experimental hazardous waste incinerators; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: No specific research on the effects on human health of modern experimental hazardous waste incinerators has been carried out. The operation of any such incinerators is controlled through a robust regulatory regime specifically put in place to protect human health and the wider environment.

Landfill

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress he has made to meeting the target to complete the process of closing all landfills by 2009 that will not meet the Landfill Directive requirements.

Jane Kennedy: Implementation of the landfill directive has so far resulted in a reduction in the number of permitted landfill sites in England and Wales from around 2,600 to 560 sites that continue to operate.
	Of those estimated—560 sites, 450 have been granted a landfill permit and thus meet the requirements of the landfill directive. The remaining 110 sites are either:
	closing by July 2009 in accordance with a plan agreed with the Environment Agency (10);
	subject to outstanding appeals against the refusal of a landfill permit application (25); or
	still being considered following further investigation as to their fulfilment of the landfill directive requirements (75).

Landfill Tax

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been raised by the landfill tax in each of the last five years; and how much has been spent on waste reduction or recycling programmes.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	Annual UK landfill tax receipts for 2002-03 to 2007/08 are published by HM Revenue and Customs at:
	http://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bulllandfill
	Total public sector expenditure on waste management is available in Table 5.2 at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/6(4).pdf

Maps: Environment Agency

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria the Environment Agency uses to prioritise areas for preparing flooding maps with light detection and ranging technology.

Jane Kennedy: By March 2011 the Environment Agency will have increased its coverage of digital terrain data. This will provide an accurate, cost-effective model of terrain suitable for assessing flood risk in areas having between a 1 per cent. and 0.1 per cent. annual probability of fluvial flooding, or between a 0.5 per cent. and 0.1 per cent. annual probability of tidal flooding in any year.
	The Environment Agency has developed a three-year programme to obtain this level of coverage starting with the areas identified by Catchment Flood Management Plans, Shoreline Management Plans and National Flood Risk Assessment as at highest risk.

Office of Water Services: Finance

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the budget is for Ofwat's regulatory activities in each of the next three financial years.

Jane Kennedy: Ofwat's estimated budget for the next three financial years is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Budget (£ million) 
			 2009-10 18.7 
			 2010-11 18.6 
			 2011-12 19.1 
		
	
	Ofwat has recently published for consultation its draft forward programme of work for 2009-10 to 2011-12. This includes details of its planned areas of work for the next three years and budget estimates for the same period. The consultation can be accessed via Ofwat's website:
	www.ofwat.gov.uk

Oil: Waste Management

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2008,  Official Report, column 178W, on oils: waste management, what provision there is for clean fuel oil in the waste oils directive; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The waste oils directive includes a range of provisions which relate to the management of waste oils, including part-processed waste oils which remain a waste. One of the core objectives of the directive is that member states should give priority to the regeneration of waste oil (that is the recycling of waste oil back to lubricant) ahead of the combustion of waste oil for energy recovery. There is no specific mention in the directive of any trade-marked substances such as "Clean Fuel Oil".

Oil: Waste Management

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2008,  Official Report, column 178W, on oil: waste management, what measures are in place to ensure the collection and correct management of waste oil.

Jane Kennedy: A combination of waste controls require all wastes, including hazardous wastes such as waste oil, to be collected and treated in an environmentally sound manner. The Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005 provide for the safe tracking and movement of hazardous waste. The Environmental Permitting Regulations 2007 require sites that recover or dispose of waste to have in place an appropriate permit or exemption from permitting. Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 makes it an offence to deposit waste, including hazardous waste, in or on any land unless under the terms of an environmental permit or an exemption from permitting.

Oil: Waste Management

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's definition is of  (a) waste oil and  (b) product equivalent fuel; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Directive 75/439/EEC (as amended) defines "waste oils" as meaning,
	"any mineral-based lubrication or industrial oils which have become unfit for the use for which they were originally intended, and in particular used combustion engine oils and gearbox oils, and also mineral lubricating oils, oils for turbines and hydraulic oils".
	DEFRA has implemented this definition by means of regulation 2(1) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007. DEFRA does not define "product equivalent fuel".

Oil: Waste Management

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are in place to encourage the complete recovery of waste oil to produce product equivalent fuel.

Jane Kennedy: The Environment Agency are developing an end-of-waste protocol for the production of processed fuel oil from waste lubricating oils, and have recently consulted on the possible terms of this protocol. The Agency's draft makes it clear that, where the proposed criteria are met, the resulting processed fuel oil will normally be regarded as having been fully recovered and to have ceased to be waste. It is anticipated that a post-consultation draft of the protocol will be submitted to the European Commission in January 2009 for notification as a technical regulation in accordance with the Technical Standards Directive (98/34/EC).

Packaging

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  which groups have been consulted as part of the Strategic Review of Packaging Policy;
	(2)  what the status is of the Strategic Review of Packaging Policy; and whether there is a date set for the implementation of the policy review.

Jane Kennedy: The Strategic Review of Packaging Policy was initiated as a response to the Prime Ministers Strategy Unit 'Food Matters' report published in July 2008.
	Since July, DEFRA and the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform have been working together in collaboration with the Devolved Administrations to develop a strategy for packaging.
	The strategy will aim to set out how packaging policy will play its part in the climate change and resource efficiency agenda over the next decade and beyond, and how it will address consumer concerns about packaging. The strategy will be a policy statement describing where packaging policy should contribute to the set out in the 2007 Waste Strategy for England and be gradually phased in over a number of years, starting in delivery ambitions implementation will early 2009.
	Despite the short timescales, the Government have consulted a wide range of stakeholders during the formation of this strategy. These key stakeholders included the Advisory Committee on Packaging (ACP) which has representatives from compliance schemes, waste management companies, brands and manufacturers; the Packaging Recycling Action Group (PRAG), which has representatives from trade organisations, retailers, local government and manufacturers; the Waste Action Forum, Improvement and Efficiency South East, the Local Government Association, the Waste and Resources Action Programme, Friends of the Earth, the Sustainable Development Commission and the Green Alliance.
	Additionally, DEFRA held a successful stakeholder event on 17 October. The event tested emerging thinking on the current direction of the packaging strategy and gathered a rang of stakeholder opinions. Around 50 organisations were represented at the event, including Material Organisations, Alupro, Corus, the British Plastics Federation, packaging designers and manufacturers including Deputy Speaker Smith Packaging and Sealed Air and packaging industry trade organisations including INCPEN and the Packaging Federation.

Recycling

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the capacity of England's recycling facilities, broken down by type of facility.

Jane Kennedy: The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) ran a conference on 23 October entitled "Recovered Materials: Navigating the Global Economic Slowdown".
	At the conference, WRAP reported that in 2007, 110 million tonnes of material, with an economic value of £3.7 billion, were collected for recycling in the UK. Of this material, 97 million tonnes was processed in the UK.
	A breakdown of these figures by material is given in the following table.
	
		
			  mt 
			  Material stream  Collected  Processed in UK 
			 Aggregates and soil 71.3 71.3 
			 Metals/WEEE/ELV 13.0 5.0 
			 Paper and card 8.5 4.0 
			 Green waste 4.2 4.2 
			 Food waste 2.0 2.0 
			 Glass 1.8 1.5 
			 Wood 1.8 1.8 
			 Other 8.0 7.2 
			 Total 110.6 97.0 
		
	
	Figures for England are not available separately.
	It is important to note that data on recycling capacity is highly dependent on the point in the recycling chain (from collection, through sorting and reprocessing, to end-use) at which the measurement is made. For this reason, a single estimate of the UK's overall recycling capacity is not available.

Recycling

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to improve recycling capacity.

Jane Kennedy: For the period 2008-09 to 2010-11, DEFRA is making £185 million of grant funding available to local authorities through the Waste Infrastructure Capital Grant (WICG) and £60 million through the London Waste and Recycling Fund. These un-ringfenced capital grants will be paid to upper tier and unitary authorities in recognition of the need to provide waste infrastructure, such as recycling and composting facilities, in time to help England meet landfill targets.

Recycling: Greater London

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much waste was recycled by each London borough in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Authority  Household recycling and composting 2007-08  (Tonnes) 
			 Barking and Dagenham 17,814 
			 Barnet 44,176 
			 Bexley 44,629 
			 Brent 22,839 
			 Bromley 49,580 
			 Camden 19,607 
			 City of London 1,823 
			 Croydon 30,746 
			 Ealing 34,314 
			 Enfield 33,965 
			 Greenwich 31,472 
			 Hackney 17,714 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 16,629 
			 Haringey 21,091 
			 Harrow 38,659 
			 Havering 26,677 
			 Hillingdon 40,604 
			 Hounslow 21,972 
			 Islington 19,745 
			 Lambeth 24,311 
			 Lewisham 25,377 
			 Merton 21,681 
			 Newham 16,975 
			 Redbridge 23,005 
			 Richmond upon Thames 28,230 
			 Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 17,365 
			 Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames 16,767 
			 Southwark 22,233 
			 Sutton 26,488 
			 Tower Hamlets 11,291 
			 Waltham Forest 29,971 
			 Wandsworth 26,564 
			 Westminster City Council 18,826 
			  Source: WasteDataFlow, Best Value Performance Indicators

Shellfish: Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in obtaining protected geographical indication status for the Colchester oyster.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 3 November 2008
	 Officials met with representatives of the applicant group in May 2007 to discuss the outstanding points relating to the product specification for the Colchester Native Oyster. Following that meeting, some further information relating to the geographical area and other aspects of the application was sought from the applicant group. Unfortunately, despite regular reminders from officials (most recently in early October 2008), that information has not been forthcoming. This means that it has not been possible to complete our assessment of the validity of the application for protected geographical indication status for the Colchester Native Oyster. We will continue to pursue this with the applicant group.

Thames Estuary: Environment Protection

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent in managing the Thames Estuary in each of the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: The Environment Agency's total expenditure for flood risk management for the Thames Estuary in each of the last five years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Total 
			 2004-05 17,052,000 
			 2005-06 20,381,000 
			 2006-07 17,831,000 
			 2007-08 17,398,000 
			 2008-09 17,593,600 
		
	
	Total expenditure includes capital and revenue figures. Capital expenditure includes schemes land capital replacement. Revenue expenditure includes operating, maintaining and inspecting structures including the Thames Barrier, Barking Barrier, Dartford Creek Barrier and associated floodgates and floodwalls.
	The geographical area of expenditure is the Thames Estuary from Teddington to Kingsnorth Power Station on the south bank and Teddington to Wakering on the north bank.
	In addition the Environment Agency has a £16 million strategy (Thames Estuary 2100 project) running from 2002 through to 2010 to develop a Thames tidal flood risk management plan up to 2100.

Waste and Resources Action Programme: Marketing

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Waste and Resources Action Programme has spent on external  (a) public relations and  (b) public affairs, in the last 24 months; and for what purpose.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) on 9 October 2008,  Official Report, column 745W.

Waste Disposal

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much and what percentage of total municipal waste was recycled in each of the last three years.

Jane Kennedy: The following table shows the amounts in tonnes and percentages of total municipal waste sent to be recycled or composted by English local authorities in the last three financial years
	
		
			  Municipal waste sent for recycling/composting 
			   Thousand tonnes  Percentage 
			 2005-06 7,799 27 
			 2006-07 8,937 31 
			 2007-08 9,703 34 
			  Source: WasteDataFlow

Waste Disposal: Small Businesses

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Local Communities on measures to encourage local authorities to take on a wider role in partnerships to help small local businesses to reduce and recycle their waste.

Jane Kennedy: There have not been any meetings between the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on this topic.
	The Communities and Local Government Department is represented at official level on the Government Waste Strategy Board which provides leadership for taking forward the delivery of the Waste Strategy for England 2007.
	It is the role of the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) Centre for local authorities, which is funded by DEFRA, to help local authorities work with their business communities to use resources more efficiently, including to reduce and recycle waste.
	The BREW Centre is delivering a central support service to help local authorities provide more tailored advice to their business community on waste and resource efficiency issues. The centre connects together over 850 local authority officers by means of an "active learning" network to help share learning in this area, and has developed over 100 good practice case studies and other guidance for local authorities. Specific business resource efficiency projects are being taken forward with selected local authorities, and the lessons learned from these are being shared widely by the centre.

Waste Management

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the volume and proportion of  (a) municipal,  (b) industrial and  (c) total waste that was (i) sent to landfill, (ii) incinerated, (iii) domestically recycled or composted and (iv) exported in each of the last 10 years.

Jane Kennedy: The amount and proportion of municipal waste landfilled, incinerated and recycled/composted from 1996-97 to 2006-07 are shown in Table 1. It is not possible to separately identify municipal waste sent for recycling in this country from that exported for recovery.
	 Waste to landfill
	Total waste to landfill in England from 2000-01 to 2006 is shown in table 2. Industrial waste to landfill is not separately recorded; it is included in the 'household, industrial and commercial' category. Around a quarter of total waste is sent to landfill.
	 Waste incinerated
	Waste inputs received by permitted incinerators, broken down by incinerator type for 2006 and 2007 is shown in table 3. Data are collated according to the type of waste the incinerator is permitted to burn, not the source sector of the waste and therefore, industrial waste cannot be separately identified. The figures include all incineration processes that take waste from off-site sources. It does not include processes that burn their own waste. A small proportion of total waste (around 2 per cent.) is managed by permitted incinerators.
	 Waste recycled/composted
	Estimates for total waste recycled or composted in England in 1998-99, 2002-03, 2004 and 2006 are shown in table 4. Around 19.0 million tonnes of industrial waste were recycled/composted in 1998-99, and 18.7 million tonnes in 2002-03. This breakdown is not available for 2004 or 2006.
	 Waste exported
	Data on shipments of notifiable wastes are collected by Government agencies in the UK to comply with the Basel Convention. Therefore, comprehensive data on shipments of these wastes are currently available. However, these wastes represent a very small (1 per cent.) proportion of total waste movements, and the majority is non-notifiable, or 'green list' waste. While it is not a requirement for the 'green list' forms to be reported to the Environment Agency in England and Wales, movements of 'green list' waste can be estimated from HM Revenue and Customs trade database. However, these data are indicative, since in many cases the categories under which trade data are reported do not differentiate between exported wastes and products. Estimates of non-notifiable waste movements from trade data have only been made for 2006.
	Total waste exported from the UK in 2006 is estimated to have been approximately 13 million tonnes. Of this, around 4.7 million tonnes was exported to within the EU, and 8.4 million tonnes outside the EU. 'Green list' waste accounts for 99 per cent. of waste exports. Estimates by source sector are not available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Management of municipal waste in England, 1996-97 to 2006-07 
			  Thousand tonnes 
			   Landfill  Incinerated  Recycled/composted  Total( 1) 
			 1996-97 20,630 2,207 1,750 24,588 
			 1997-98 21,765 1,846 2,064 25,711 
			 1998-99 21,507 2,296 2,530 26,342 
			 1999-2000 22,199 2,395 3,117 27,715 
			 2000-01 22,039 2,411 3,446 28,057 
			 2001-02 22,421 2,447 3,921 28,905 
			 2002-03 22,068 2,607 4,572 29,394 
			 2003-04 20,936 2,604 5,537 29,114 
			 2004-05 19,822 2,818 6,951 29,619 
			 2005-06 17,873 2,859 7,799 28,726 
			 2006-07 16,890 3,237 8,937 29,187 
		
	
	
		
			  Proportion  (Percentage) 
			   Landfill  Incinerated  Recycled/composted 
			 1996-97 84 9 7 
			 1997-98 85 7 8 
			 1998-99 82 9 10 
			 1999-2000 80 9 11 
			 2000-01 79 9 12 
			 2001-02 78 8 14 
			 2002-03 75 9 16 
			 2003-04 72 9 19 
			 2004-05 67 10 23 
			 2005-06 62 10 27 
			 2006-07 58 11 31 
			 (1) Management methods other than landfill, incineration and recycling/composting have not been included, meaning that the totals will be slightly greater than the sum of the management routes.  Source: Municipal waste management survey 1996-97 to 2003-04, WasteDataFlow from 2004-05. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Landfill deposits in England, 2000-01 to 2006 
			  Million tonnes 
			   2000-01  2002-03  2004-05  2005  2006 
			 Inert/C&D 31.2 31.2 26.8 27.3 27.5 
			 Household, industrial and commercial 45.9 42.6 39.7 39.1 36.5 
			 Hazardous 2.8 2.0 2.4 1.5 0.9 
			 Total 79.9 75.7 68.9 67.9 64.9 
			  Source: Returns made by landfill operators to the Environment Agency. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Incineration throughput in England, 2006 and 2007 
			  Thousand tonnes 
			   2006  2007 
			 Municipal 3,282 3,267 
			 Sewage Sludge 196 191 
			 Hazardous 134 133 
			 Animal By-Product 803 799 
			 Animal Carcass 23 19 
			 Clinical 108 118 
			 Co-Incineration of Hazardous Waste 211 273 
			 Co-Incineration of Non Hazardous Waste 90 336 
			 Total 4,848 5,136 
			  Source: Environment Agency. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Waste recycled/composted in England, 1998-99 to 2006 
			   Waste recycled/composted (Million tonnes)  Proportion of estimated total waste (Percentage) 
			 1998-99 52.2 21 
			 2002-03 80.9 30 
			 2004 96.8 35 
			 2006 112.1 42 
			  Notes: Recycling is defined as the reprocessing in a production process of the waste materials for the original purpose, or for other purposes including organic recycling, but excluding energy recovery. This includes composting and household recycling.  Sources: 1. Estimated from returns made by licensed waste operators to the Environment Agency survey of exempt sites in 2006. 2. National Packaging Waste Database estimates derived from the National Waste Production Survey 2002-03, Surveys of Alternatives to Primary Aggregates, Water UK.

Waste Management

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance has been given to local authorities by his Department on the development of joint municipal waste management strategies; and if he will place in the Library copies of such guidance.

Jane Kennedy: Guidance on the duty for local authorities in two-tier areas to produce joint municipal waste management strategies is publicly available on DEFRA's website.

Waste Management

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has for the future of the zero waste place project.

Jane Kennedy: The monitoring period for the zero waste projects will run until May 2009, at which point DEFRA will publish a report detailing the experiences of the six zero waste places. This will serve to highlight best practice in sustainable waste management and help to support local authorities to reduce the environmental impact of waste. We will consider further action in the light of this evaluation.

Waste Management

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the economic downturn on the domestic and international markets for waste; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: On 23 October, the DEFRA funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) hosted a special forum on international markets for recovered paper and plastics entitled "Recovered Materials: Navigating the Global Economic Slowdown".
	The papers discussed at this event are available on WRAP's website.
	The conclusion drawn was that while domestic demand for waste recyclates might be flat, there will still be a demand for waste material for recycling in overseas markets. However, prices are expected to be volatile in the short term, though they are likely to stabilise over time.

Water

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many litres of water per day were used on average by domestic water users in each year from 1995 to 2006.

Jane Kennedy: Per capita consumption figures for England and Wales are reported annually in Ofwat's Security of Supply reports. Average domestic water use per person for 1995 to 2006 was recorded by Ofwat as follows:
	
		
			   Litres/head/day 
			 1995-96 152 
			 1996-97 148 
			 1997-98 149 
			 1998-99 146 
			 1999-2000 149 
			 2000-01 149 
			 2001-02 150 
			 2002-03 150 
			 2003-04 154 
			 2004-05 150 
			 2005-06 151 
			 2006-07 148

Water Supply

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact on rural areas of the implementation of the Private Water Suppliers (England) Regulations 2008 to  (a) households and  (b) businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Private water suppliers are predominantly located in rural areas and the impact on both households and businesses is set out in the impact assessment which was published in August as part of the consultation on the new regulations. No new monitoring requirements are proposed to the majority of private water supplies (approximately 60 per cent.) that are for domestic use within single private premises.

Water Supply

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how he plans to ensure that the implementation of the Private Water Suppliers (England) Regulations 2008 and his proposed amendment to them apply uniformly to rural and urban areas.

Jane Kennedy: The proposed regulations will apply uniformly to rural and urban areas across England, however private supplies are predominantly located in rural areas. An impact assessment was published in August as part of the consultation on the new regulations.

Water Supply

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what responses he has received to his recent consultation on the Private Water Supplies (England) Regulations 2008.

Jane Kennedy: To date 100, representations to the consultation have been received. DEFRA will consider the responses and publish the Government response by spring 2009.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Theresa May: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what percentage of employees in the Government Equalities Office are  (a) on a flexible working contract,  (b) on a job share employment contract and  (c) work from home for more than four hours a week.

Maria Eagle: All employees in the Government Equalities Office (GEO) have the opportunity to work flexibly. Some 3.3 per cent. of GEO employees are on a job share employment contract and we offer all employees the opportunity to work from home on a regular basis subject to line management approval.

Civil Servants: Fast Stream

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many civil servants in the Government Equalities Office were recruited through the fast stream; and what the average salary of those officials is.

Maria Eagle: The Government Equalities Office was established on 12 October 2007 and currently has six members of staff who were recruited to the GEO through the fast stream. The average monthly salaries are shown as follows:
	
		
			   Average monthly salary (£) 
			 Officer 1 2,453 
			 Officer 2 2,626 
			 Officer 3 2,801 
			 Officer 4 3,278 
			 Officer 5 3,309 
			 Officer 6 3,397

Media Monitoring

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality which organisations provided media monitoring services to  (a) the Government Equalities Office and  (b) its associated non-departmental public bodies since its creation; and what the cost of each contract was.

Maria Eagle: The Government Equalities Office employs EDS Media at a cost of approximately £1,500 per month although this can vary according to the number of relevant media articles. EDS Media have also provided the Equality and Human Rights Commission with monitoring services since its establishment in October 2007. To date, the Commission have spent a combined total of £97,491.21 on the monitoring services. The Women's National Commission (WNC) does not pay for any media monitoring services.

Departmental Training

David Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much the Government Equalities Office spent on external training courses for departmental staff in each year since its inception; and which external organisations were paid by the Department to provide such courses in each year.

Maria Eagle: Since its establishment on 12 October 2007 the Government Equalities Office have used the following external organisations and made the following payments for the provision of staff training
	
		
			  External training organisation  Course title  Total cost (£) 
			  2007-08   
			 Alpha Training Drafting Ministerial Correspondence 2,088 
			  Appearing Before Select Committee  
			  Effective Time Management  
			
			 National School of Government Assertiveness At Work 19,450.00 
			  Employment Law  
			  Appearing Before Select Committee  
			  EU Workshop  
			  Prince2 Conversion Practitioners Exams  
			  Bill Team Seminar  
			  Leaders Unlimited Development Programme  
			
			 Department for Work and Pensions Leadership Development Programme 576 
			 Total cost  22,114 
			
			  2008-09   
			 Centre for Parliamentary Studies Writing a Strategy 564 
			 CIPD Enterprises Employment Law Workshop 576 
			 Dods Parliamentary Comms A-Z of Policy 564 
			 Govnet Communications Strategic Thinking 495 
			 Hemsley Fraser Learning and Development The Newly Appointed Manager 892 
			 Learning Laboratory Ltd. Executive Course 1,410 
			 National School of Government Stakeholder Engagement 910 
			 Total cost to date  5,410 
			
			 Total cost of GEO training  27,524

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Lynne Jones: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality pursuant to the answer of 29 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2304W, on equality, under what circumstances Commissioners of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) are not representatives of the EHRC when making public statements.

Maria Eagle: Commissioners speak on behalf of the Equality and Human Rights Commission when making public statements only when they have been asked or it has been agreed by the Commission to do so.
	Other than those circumstances they make public statements in their private capacity and not as Commissioners speaking on behalf of the Commission.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what work YouGov has undertaken on behalf of the Equality and Human Rights Commission; and how much this has cost.

Maria Eagle: The Equality and Human Rights Commission has not commissioned any work with YouGov to date.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what average salary was paid by the Equality and Human Rights Commission to its  (a) male,  (b) female,  (c) white,  (d) black and minority ethnic  (e) disabled and  (f) non-disabled employees in the last period for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The current average salaries for staff in each group are as follows:
	
		
			  Group   Average salary (£) 
			 a Male 33,366.96 
			 b Female 28,920.48 
			 c White 30,803.91 
			 d Black and Ethnic Minority 29,035.12 
			 e Disabled 29,784.07 
			 f Non-Disabled 30,598.81 
		
	
	These figures do not reflect full-time equivalent salaries but are purely the average of total salaries paid to staff. They therefore have not been updated to reflect, for example, part-time working. The Commission does not currently have figures based on hourly rates. These will become available once the Commission has finished harmonisation of its legacy organisations pay arrangements onto common rates of pay. These new rates have now been agreed with trade unions and staff have been consulted. It is expected that these new arrangements will be implemented shortly. Figures based on hourly rates will be available in the new financial year.

Females: Crimes of Violence

Roger Williams: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many complaints have been made to police forces about violence against women in the last five years, broken down by  (a) parliamentary constituency and  (b) police force.

Maria Eagle: Violence against women includes crimes such as rape, domestic violence, forced marriage, sexual exploitation and trafficking, and I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer for question 2272115 November 2008,  Official Report, column 556W. The following table provides a breakdown by police force area for recorded offences of rape of a female for the last five years.
	
		
			  Recorded offences of rape of a female: 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			   Number of offences 
			  Police force area  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Avon and Somerset 447 427 295 393 352 
			 Bedfordshire 139 149 188 141 106 
			 British Transport Police 25 39 17 16 14 
			 Cambridgeshire 216 219 193 193 198 
			 Cheshire 172 184 165 150 140 
			 Cleveland 139 135 158 125 130 
			 Cumbria 71 73 73 63 78 
			 Derbyshire 221 257 253 253 217 
			 Devon and Cornwall 303 348 361 355 360 
			 Dorset 137 149 166 115 192 
			 Durham 68 83 129 76 117 
			 Dyfed-Powys 99 94 79 92 66 
			 Essex 316 320 352 324 264 
			 Gloucestershire 97 105 145 150 130 
			 Greater Manchester 790 812 769 767 712 
			 Gwent 77 103 112 132 164 
			 Hampshire 439 573 618 592 549 
			 Hertfordshire 149 179 197 179 163 
			 Humberside 330 286 323 264 237 
			 Kent 268 329 413 368 379 
			 Lancashire 241 249 299 257 232 
			 Leicestershire 238 291 287 275 315 
			 Lincolnshire 156 164 169 147 154 
			 London, City of 3 7 5 8 3 
			 Merseyside 360 342 356 274 231 
			 Metropolitan Police 2,417 2,282 2,249 2,144 1,792 
			 Norfolk 196 170 209 147 128 
			 Northamptonshire 144 116 152 147 138 
			 Northumbria 305 306 325 307 232 
			 North Wales 132 148 156 99 142 
			 North Yorkshire 115 132 134 128 121 
			 Nottinghamshire 273 230 236 223 209 
			 South Wales 177 165 193 240 232 
			 South Yorkshire 170 261 294 241 219 
			 Staffordshire 226 275 267 265 224 
			 Suffolk 166 169 192 161 151 
			 Surrey 138 120 135 134 144 
			 Sussex 276 414 399 413 293 
			 Thames Valley 409 377 425 411 356 
			 Warwickshire 73 83 75 93 96 
			 West Mercia 210 199 212 208 229 
			 West Midlands 747 882 856 834 748 
			 West Yorkshire 572 526 558 579 563 
			 Wiltshire 131 97 138 141 128 
			 England and Wales 12,378 12,869 13,327 12,624 11,648

JUSTICE

Appeals: Incapacity Benefit

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the success rate at appeal hearings has been for incapacity for work applicants  (a) overall and  (b) where both the claimant and the representative attended the hearing in the last five years for which figures are available.

Bridget Prentice: The overall success rate at incapacity benefit appeal hearings was:
	45.09 per cent. from April 2007 to March 2008;
	43.44 per cent. from April 2008 to October 2008.
	Where the appellant had representation, the success rate was:
	58.37 per cent. from April 2007 to March 2008;
	57.58 per cent. from April 2008 to October 2008.
	Prior to April 2007, this information was not recorded.
	The tribunal does not record appeals where both claimant and representative attend.

Appeals: Disability Living Allowance

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the success rate was at appeal hearings for disability living allowance applicants  (a) overall and  (b) where both the claimant and the representative attended the hearing in the last five years for which figures are available.

Bridget Prentice: The overall success rate at disability living allowance appeal hearings was:
	36.05 per cent. from April 2007 to March 2008;
	33.87 per cent. from April 2008 to October 2008.
	Where the appellant had representation the success rate was:
	43.22 per cent. from April 2007 to March 2008;
	41.65 per cent. from April 2008 to October 2008.
	Prior to April 2007, this information was not recorded.
	The tribunal does not record appeals where both claimant and representative attend.

Asylum: Appeals

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what percentage of asylum decisions were overturned on appeal in each year since 1997.

Bridget Prentice: The information requested can be viewed in the following table.
	
		
			   Allowed  Dismissed  Withdrawn 
			   Total determined  Total  As percentage of total determined  Total  As percentage of total determined  Total  As percentage of total withdrawn 
			 1997 21,090 1,180 6 18,145 86 1,720 8 
			 1998 25,320 2,355 9 21,195 84 1,770 7 
			 1999 19,460 5,280 27 11,135 57 3,050 16 
			 2000 19,395 3,340 17 15,580 80 475 2 
			 2001 43,415 8,155 19 34,440 79 825 2 
			 2002 64,405 13,875 22 48,845 76 1,685 3 
			 2003 81,725 16,070 20 63,810 78 1,845 2 
			 2004 55,975 10,845 19 43,760 78 1.370 2 
			 2005 33,440 5,605 17 26,555 79 1,285 4 
			 2006 15,955 3,540 22 11.595 73 820 5 
			 2007 14,935 3,385 23 10,735 72 820 5 
		
	
	Details are published in the Home Office publications 'Control of Immigration Statistics United Kingdom', copies of which are available in the Library of both Houses. Details can also be found on the Asylum Statistics UK website at these links:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1407.pdf
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb1108.pdf.

Courts Service

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many posts in HM Courts Service there are; and what projection he has made of the number of jobs in the service in 2011.

Bridget Prentice: As at September 2008 there were 19,474 permanent full-time equivalent on strength members of staff employed by Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS).
	It has been clear since the publication of MoJ's CSR07 settlement that the Department and its constituent bodies, including HMCS, would have to cut budgets. The efficiency savings plan for Moj for 2008-09 is currently under way.
	We are working up over the next few months the performance and efficiency plan for MoJ and its constituent bodies, including HMCS, to cover 2009-10 and 2010-11.
	We expect there to be a reduction in headcount in HMCS parts of MoJ but we expect a large part of that to come from reductions in agency staff and contractors. Exact numbers will only be available once we have completed our planning exercise.
	We will aim to match courts' work better to the changing pattern of demand and do not have any current plans to close courts.

Courts Service

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many courts HM Courts Service administers at present; and what projection he has made of the number of courts in operation in 2011.

Bridget Prentice: As at September 2008 Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) administers 583 courthouse properties. Local justice areas, county court jurisdiction or Crown court determines where the courts sit, and may provide their court services from one or more court properties within their areas.
	In the normal course of operation HMCS reviews its property base to match court work better to the changing pattern of demand and efficient provision of justice. We do not have any current plans to close courts although a number of courthouses (properties) may be combined as part of these plans.
	There are no property disposals planned over and above that agreed in the CSR07 MoJ Asset Management Strategy These plans form part of the agreed MoJ Asset Management Strategy. For commercial reasons HMCS does not publish details of any proposed changes to individual locations. In any event, any disposals/changes are subject to agreed consultation processes.

Crime: Victim Support Schemes

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to improve police services for victims of crime.

Maria Eagle: The Government have placed victims and witnesses at the heart of the criminal justice system and given support services to them a high priority.
	Since 2004 the Government have introduced the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime which gives victims legal rights to support and information about their case. They have also supported the development of Victim Support into a strong national organisation able to help more victims more quickly. Victim Support is an independent charity and is the main provider of services to victims and witnesses across England and Wales. Over recent years funding has increased from £11.7 million to £30 million. Victim Support has recently introduced an improved business process, with an additional £12.6 million from Government, so that victims can be contacted quickly, have their needs assessed and, if needed, be offered a wider range of practical services than was previously available.
	In addition the Government fund a number of other organisations offering specialist support services through the Victims Fund. £8.2 million has been invested so far, funding services to victims of sexual violence, childhood sexual abuse, hate crime and homicide. The Poppy project supports adult women who have been trafficked into the UK for sexual exploitation and this includes provision for temporarily accommodating victims.
	The Office for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) has provided £5.6 million since 2007 for independent domestic violence advisers (IDVAs) who provide a service to victims who are at high risk of harm. The money provides IDVAs to support victims as their cases progress through specialist domestic violence courts. The £5.6 million follows £2 million of Home Office funding in 2006-07.
	The recently published Youth Crime Action Plan will be improving support services to young victims of crime. The plan has been developed jointly between the OCJR, Ministry of Justice, the Department for Children Schools and Families and the Home Office. The action plan will deliver results on youth justice, youth crime prevention and cross cutting themes on victimisation.
	Support after Murder and Manslaughter (SAMM) receives an annual grant of £140,000 to provide advice and support to those bereaved by homicide and presents training to police forces and other statutory agencies (e.g. the Health and Safety Executive) on bereavement awareness issues.
	Victims and witnesses have a voice in shaping Government policy and future support services through the Victims Advisory Panel and, shortly, the appointment of a Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses will be able to promote the views of victims and witnesses at the highest levels.

Drugs: Crime

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of  (a) possession and  (b) supply of illegal drugs of each classification level in each of the last 10 years; and how many such people received (i) a custodial sentence and (ii) the maximum possible sentence in each case.

Maria Eagle: The requested information is contained in the following tables. The maximum sentence is available for the most serious possible case of a particular crime. The average sentence for an offence will, rightly, fall well below the maximum.
	
		
			  Number of persons convicted( 1)  for possessing or supplying illegal drugs by class, all courts, England and Wales, 1997  to  2006 
			  Number of persons 
			  Offence description  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Possession Class A 6,485 8,167 9,720 10,439 11,548 11.417 10,985 10,737 10,728 11,469 
			 Possession Class B 20,910 27,359 26,687 23,210 22,960 26,139 28,093 8,568 4,362 3,836 
			 Possession Class C 145 187 159 117 371 533 515 8,304 12,170 12,688 
			 Supplying Class A 3,632 3,634 4,098 4,528 5,158 5,253 5,679 5,821 5,975 5,721 
			 Supplying Class B 5,201 5,571 4,484 3,323 2,315 2,346 2,394 1,638 722 568 
			 Supplying Class C 110 97 94 56 57 61 73 832 1,806 2,048 
			 (1) These data are on the principle offence basis.  Source: OCJR E and A 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of persons given a custodial sentence( 1)  for possessing or supplying  i llegal drugs by class, all courts, England and Wales, 1997  to  200 6 
			  Number of persons 
			  Offence description  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Possessing class A 548 816 966 1,000 1.109 988 907 788 796 796 
			 Possessing class B 395 624 634 460 372 316 370 174 122 112 
			 Possessing class C 13 12 9 6 11 16 7 82 140 175 
			 Supply class A 2,863 2,807 3,320 3,631 4,031 4,064 4,415 4,551 4,203 4,056 
			 Supply class B 643 729 510 349 177 174 201 202 180 170 
			 Supply class C 684 692 610 431 296 279 241 326 643 700 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of persons given maximum available sentence( 1)  for possessing or supplying  i llegal drugs by class, all courts, England and Wales, 1997  to  2006 
			  Number of persons 
			  Offence description  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Possessing class A 1 — 1 2 — — 3 3 4 8 
			 Possessing class B 1 1 — — 1 — 1 — — — 
			 Possessing class C 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 
			 Supply class A — — 1 — — — — 1 1 — 
			 Supply class B 1 — — — — — — — — — 
			 Supply class C — — — — — — — — — — 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: OMS Analytical Services

Electoral Administration Act 2006

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the timetable is for the commencement of section 59 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 on ending dual reporting.

Jack Straw: Under the terms of section 59 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006, the section may not be commenced until the Electoral Commission has notified the Secretary of State that they are satisfied that they will receive the information they require in relation to holders of relevant elective office.
	As my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Justice (Mr. Wills) said on 28 October 2008,  Official Report, column 718, we agree that the current dual reporting requirements are unhelpful. The Committee on Standards and Privileges and the Electoral Commission have been discussing with each other and the Government the commencement of the section. I hope that the section can be commenced soon.

Electoral Register: Students

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to assist local authorities to increase the proportion of students registered to vote.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice undertakes a number of activities to encourage young people to participate in democracy, including holding open days for schools and colleges. As part of our Ministerial Youth Outreach Programme my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Bridget Prentice) as Minister for Youth Engagement hosted our Your Voice Counts conference on 9 October 2007, which was attended by 143 young people, 19 MPs and 41 councillors.
	Section 9 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 (EA Act) placed a duty on electoral registration officers (EROs) to take all necessary steps to maintain the electoral register, including sending the annual canvass form more than once and making house to house visits.
	In addition, section 69 of the EA Act requires EROs to promote registration and electoral participation within their areas. Responsibility for assisting EROs in meeting this obligation lies with the Electoral Commission which is responsible for issuing guidance ERO on encouraging electoral registration.
	Guidance issued by the Commission to help increase registration levels among young people suggests EROs should work with secondary schools and sixth-form colleges to identify and make 16 and 17-year-olds aware of the electoral process. The Commission also suggests that EROs attend university 'freshers' weeks and establish relationships with organisations or college staff responsible for assisting with accommodation, so that student details may be obtained.
	It is for each local authority to adopt an approach that is appropriate to local circumstances when encouraging students to register to vote.

Electronic Voting

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to produce a comprehensive plan for the general operation of e-voting.

Michael Wills: The Government are considering what the appropriate next steps are in relation to e-voting, taking account, both of the reports published by the Electoral Commission and the recent consultation on Election day which sought views on other forms of voting.

Electronic Voting

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department has to commission further pilots of electronic voting kiosks at polling stations.

Michael Wills: The Government have no plans to commission further pilots of electronic voting kiosks in polling stations.

Electronic Voting

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department has to commission further pilots of electronic counting of ballot papers.

Michael Wills: The Government have no plans to commission further pilots of electronic counting of ballot papers at this time.

Electronic Voting

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the costs and benefits of electronic counting of ballot papers taking into account the pilots carried out during the 2007 local government elections and the 2008 London Mayoral and London Assembly elections.

Michael Wills: The Government have not yet conducted a full cost-benefit analysis for electronic counting. This is because the evidence base is still being informed by the results of pilots and other elections where e-counting is being used.
	However, before any request to pilot received from a local authority is approved by Ministers, the Ministry of Justice carries out a value for money assessment, which includes an assessment of the expected costs and benefits. In addition, all pilots are evaluated by the Electoral Commission, which also considers value for money and whether realisation of expected benefits has been achieved, in its reports.
	The Greater London assembly, as the body responsible for the conduct of the 2008 London Mayoral and London Assembly elections, are currently conducting a cost/benefit assessment of the use of e-counting at the 2008 election.

National Offender Management Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff in the Interventions and Substance Misuse Group in the National Offender Management Service have previously worked in  (a) the Prison Service and  (b) the Probation Service.

David Hanson: Of staff currently in post in the National Offender Management Service's Interventions and Substance Misuse Group:
	 (a) 123 have previously worked in HM Prison Service;
	 (b) 18 have previously worked in National Probation Service; and
	(c) two have previously worked in both HM Prison Service and the National Probation Service.
	The Interventions and Substance Misuse Group was established in June 2008 following the amalgamation of National Drug Programme Delivery Unit, Offending Behaviour Programmes Unit, Interventions and Substance Abuse Unit and subsequently in November 2008, Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorders Unit. It is a NOMS headquarters group, within the Commissioning and Operational Policy Directorate, that leads on the Drug Strategy and oversees the policy and delivery of all interventions, both accredited and non-accredited addressing prisoner need across the seven re-offending pathways.

National Offender Management Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many former  (a) Prison Service and  (b) Probation Service staff have a permanent post in the National Offender Management Service;
	(2)  how many former  (a) Prison Service and  (b) Probation Service staff have a seconded position within the National Offender Management Service.

David Hanson: All former Prison Service and National Probation Service staff now form part of the National Offender Management Service Agency. Staff formerly with a permanent contract continue to have a permanent contract and staff formerly on secondment to the Prison Service or National Probation Service continue to be on secondment.
	48,333 permanent full-time equivalent staff that moved from the Prison Service (including Prison Service headquarters) and 20,894 full-time equivalent staff moved from the National Probation Service to the National Offender Management Service. Reliable information on the number of staff on secondment into the Prison and National Probation Services is not available and to obtain it would require a collection exercise across many establishments that would incur disproportionate cost.

Offenders: Drugs

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether a group to compile national guidance on the streamlining and commissioning of drug treatment for offenders has been established.

David Hanson: A group chaired by Professor Lord Patel has been established to consider options for the streamlining of funding and commissioning arrangements for prison drug treatment. I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statements laid jointly with the Minister of State my right hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, South (Dawn Primarolo), Department of Health on 17 March 2008,  Official Report, column 49WS and 13 June  Official Report, column 34WS. I intend shortly to make a further written ministerial statement giving an update of progress made.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost was of accredited programmes delivered in  (a) prisons and  (b) probation services in the latest period for which information is available.

David Hanson: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) offers a range of programmes to meet different needs and risks of offending. The cost of delivery varies across programmes and by prison establishment and probation area, depending on factors such as the nature, length and intensity of the programmes, volume of delivery and the existing infrastructure.
	The average cost per individual completing programmes run by prison and probation services varies from £1,500 to £10,000. The small number of completions for the more intensive programmes for serious violent offenders cost more to deliver.
	NOMS is currently undertaking a specifications, benchmarking and costings exercise which will provide more accurate costings of the interventions delivered.

Political Parties: Finance

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether under the proposed new election trigger rules, the local candidate spending limit will be reset if a candidate withdraws their candidature after they have triggered.

Jack Straw: The candidate expenditure limit applies to all expenses used on regulated matters by an individual who does so in order to promote his election as a candidate. The spending limit applies to the individual in the event that they contest that election as a candidate. Should an individual withdraw their candidature, their actions would not affect anyone else who may then stand in their place. Each individual candidate can spend up to the spending limit—that is to say the spending limit is personal to the individual and is not transferable between candidates. This is not affected by the amendments to the 1983 Act proposed by clause 10 of the Political Parties and Elections Bill (Bill 141).

Prisoners

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which factors his Department  (a) deems relevant and  (b) incorporates when making projections for the future prison population in England and Wales.

David Hanson: There are many factors and data which are incorporated into the prison population projections to greater or lesser degrees. The most significant factors which the Department deems relevant to and incorporates into the projections are:
	Trends in sentencing behaviour, such as sentence lengths and custody rates.
	Trends in crime, incorporated through the Criminal Justice System model.
	Legislative impacts, such as the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008.
	Procedural impacts, such as the Simple, Speedy, Summary Justice (CJSSS) scheme, and measures to increase offences brought to justice contributing to PSA24.
	Factors which are deemed relevant but cannot be incorporated are those for which there is no agreed timetable, or those for which the effects cannot be projected with reasonable confidence, such as the effects of increased numbers of European arrest warrants resulting from the UK's involvement in the Schengen Information System 2.
	More details on the prison projections may be found in the latest published bulletin, "Prison Population Projections 2008-15" Ministry of Justice Statistics Bulletin, 18 September 2008.

Prisoners

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what forecasting model his Department uses to prepare the annual prison population projections for England and Wales.

David Hanson: The models used to calculate the current prison population projections are described in Appendix C of the Ministry of Justice publication, "Prison Population Projections 2008-2015", published on the Ministry of Justice website in September 2008. There are four elements to the modelling. In the short term (and the first two years) most segments of the population are modelled by a combination of stock-and-flow modelling and the use of the X12-ARIMA method developed by the USA Census Bureau. The X12-ARIMA method is available at:
	www.census.gov/srd/www/x12a/.
	In the longer term (between two and seven years) most segments of the population use the Grove-Macleod model. This has been published in OR Insight Vol. 11 Issue 1, January-March 1998, pp. 3-9, "Forecasting the prison population". More detail is also available in Occasional Paper 80, "Modelling crime and offending: recent developments in England and Wales" published on the Home Office website in 2003. The population on indeterminate sentences are not projected by these methods, and these segments instead use a system dynamics model developed by the Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder Programme. In addition to these models, the impacts of some changes in legislation and operational procedures are estimated using the Criminal Justice System Model and, if necessary, one-off bespoke calculations.

Prisoners

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what account his Department takes of  (a) sentencing behaviour and  (b) crime rates when making projections for the future prison population in England and Wales.

David Hanson: The Ministry of Justice publication "Prison Population Projections 2008-15" provides data for three different scenarios (high, medium and low), each of which is generated by a different trend in sentencing behaviour. These are described in section 3 of the publication, and in more detail in Appendix C.
	Trends in crime rates are incorporated through the Criminal Justice System Model, which in turn uses data generated from the Home Office's Crime Trajectory Model. This is described in appendix C of the publication.

Sentencing

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what occasions courts have departed from the sentencing guidelines in each of the last three years, broken down by  (a) court and  (b) reason for departure.

Maria Eagle: The Sentencing Guidelines Council is responsible for framing and revising sentencing and allocation guidelines. The number of departures from guidelines and the reasons for those departures are not recorded.

Sentencing

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what  (a) representations he has received and  (b) discussions he has had with the police on sentencing policy since May 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Mr. Straw) and departmental Ministers regularly meet with the police to discuss a wide range of criminal justice issues.
	In October the Secretary of State replied to a letter from the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police about knife crime and the courts.

Voting Methods

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department has to commission further pilots of advance voting.

Michael Wills: The Government have no plans at present to commission further advance voting pilots.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to Question 219327, tabled on 14 July 2008, on guidance to courts.

Jack Straw: I replied to the hon. and learned Member on 5 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 623-24W. I apologise for the delay.

Young Offender Institutions: Prisoners Release

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were released from young offender institutions between April and September 2008.

David Hanson: The number of prisoners released from young offender institutions following the completion of a determinate sentence between April and September 2008 was approximately 6,400. These data are provisional until final data are published in the Ministry of Justice statistical bulletin Offender Management Caseload Statistics (OMCS).
	OMCS 2007 was published on 30 October. Tables 9.1 and 9.2 shows data on discharges from prison. Copies of the bulletin have been placed in the House Libraries and found at the following web link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonand probation.htm
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Young Offenders: Employment

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what measures exist to help place young offenders into employment following release from custody.

David Hanson: All probation areas support offenders in improving access to employment opportunities and make significant financial investment to employment interventions. Specialist employment staff are also directly employed by probation areas or engaged through partnership arrangements with the voluntary and community sector.
	In 2007-08, a total of 16,823 offenders supervised by the National Probation Service gained employment and sustained it for at least four weeks during the year, exceeding the performance target of 13,200 by 27 per cent. It is not possible to separate figures for young offenders only.

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many  (a) national and  (b) regional meetings were conducted during the course of his Department's policy consultation on alcohol strategy; and who (i) was invited to and (ii) attended each;
	(2)  what the criteria were for selecting those invited to attend the four regional consultation meetings on his Department's policy consultation on alcohol strategy.

Dawn Primarolo: A series of national meetings were held during the consultation period with 88 representatives from stakeholder organisations covering crime and disorder, health, young people and the alcohol industry. The stakeholder organisations invited to these meetings and those that attended are listed as follows. In addition, officials met industry chief executives at the alcohol industry public affairs directors meeting on 20 August 2008.
	Stakeholder organisations invited:
	Association of Chief Police Officers
	Police Superintendents' Association
	Police Federation
	Association of Police Authorities
	British Transport Police
	Unison
	Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Mangers
	Local Government Association
	Local Better Regulation Office
	Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS)
	Trading Standards
	Taunton Deane
	Association of Town Centre Management
	Trading Standards Institute
	Metropolitan Police
	Home Office
	Newcastle University
	Royal College of Physicians
	St. George's—University of London
	North West Public Health Observatory
	Alcohol Concern
	Cardiff University
	Royal Pharmaceutical Society for the UK
	Northumbria University
	Birmingham University
	University of Central London
	South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
	CompuServe
	Turning Point
	Royal College of General Practitioners
	Equinox
	National Treatment Agency
	Southampton University
	University of Kent
	European Association for the Treatment of Addiction
	Alcoholics Anonymous
	Royal College of Psychiatrists
	Royal College of Nursing
	National Association of Cider Makers
	Association of Convenience Stores
	Advertising Standards Authority
	Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers
	The Voice of the Nighttime Economy (Noctis)
	Guild of Master Victuallers
	Society of Independent Brewers
	British Beer and Pub Association
	British Institute of Inn Keepers
	British Retail Consortium
	Gin and Vodka Association
	Scotch Whisky Association
	Portman Group
	Wine and Spirits Trade Association
	The Advertising Association
	Tourism Alliance
	Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations
	Tesco
	Asda
	Morrisons
	Sainsbury
	Marks & Spencer
	Majestic
	Threshers
	Co-op
	Diageo
	Pernod-Ricard
	Bacardi
	Brown Forman
	Beam Global
	Constellation
	Gallo
	Fosters
	Adfam
	Mentor UK
	Drug Education Forum
	National Children's Home
	DrinkAware Trust
	Local Government Association
	4Children
	National Children's Bureau
	The Children's Society
	Addaction
	Family Welfare Association
	Turning Point
	Parentline Plus
	Youthnet
	National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
	Barnardos
	Fostering Network
	Stakeholder organisations that attended:
	The Voice of the Nighttime Economy (Noctis)
	Guild of Master Victuallers
	Scotch Whisky Association
	Association of Convenience Stores
	The Advertising Association
	Portman Group
	Tourism Alliance
	Advertising Standards Authority
	Wine and Spirits Trade Association
	Society of Independent Brewers
	The Gin and Vodka Association
	Association of Chief Police Officers
	British Transport Police
	Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS)
	Trading Standards
	Royal College of Nursing
	Royal College of Physicians
	Royal Pharmaceutical Society for the UK
	University of Kent
	Parentline Plus
	Adfam
	Youthnet
	Mentor UK
	Four regional events were held in Bristol, Newcastle, Liverpool and London during the Government's consultation on what action should be taken in response to the rising levels of alcohol health harm and crime and disorder.
	To be invited each organisation had to meet one of the following criteria—that they represented either diverse groups, enforcement and local authorities, the national health service, other health providers, manufacturers of alcohol, those in the alcohol off-licensed trade or those in the alcohol on-licensed trade.
	In total 2,592 organisations were invited to these regional events and the following table breaks down this figure for each event and into the number invited, the number that accepted and the number that attended.
	
		
			Number 
			Invited  Accepted  Attended 
			 Bristol Diverse groups 33 2 2 
			  Enforcement and local authorities 217 15 11 
			  Health—NHS 146 8 7 
			  Health—other 0 0 0 
			  Manufacturers 48 0 0 
			  Off-trade 39 1 0 
			  On-trade 208 9 1 
			  Total 691 35 21 
			  
			 Newcastle Diverse groups 36 3 3 
			  Enforcement and local authorities 163 32 26 
			  Health—NHS 102 23 18 
			  Health—other 3 2 1 
			  Manufacturers 23 0 0 
			  Off-trade 28 0 0 
			  On-trade 110 0 0 
			  Total 465 60 48 
			  
			 Liverpool Diverse groups 19 5 2 
			  Enforcement and local authorities 64 11 8 
			  Health—NHS 110 17 13 
			  Health—other 1 1 1 
			  Manufacturers 36 1 1 
			  Off-trade 25 0 0 
			  On-trade 141 5 0 
			  Total 396 40 25 
			  
			 London Diverse groups 74 8 8 
			  Enforcement and local authorities 508 33 25 
			  Health—NHS 273 10 7 
			  Health—other 6 5 4 
			  Manufacturers 31 3 1 
			  Off-trade 30 2 0 
			  On-trade 118 4 2 
			  Total 1040 65 47 
			  
			 Totals Diverse groups 162 18 15 
			  Enforcement and local authorities 952 91 70 
			  Health—NHS 631 58 45 
			  Health—other 10 8 6 
			  Manufacturers 138 4 2 
			  Off-trade 122 3 0 
			  On-trade 577 18 3 
			  Total 2,592 200 141

Cancer: Health Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on  (a) cancer drugs and  (b) cancer in-patient services in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: Information on spending on cancer drugs and on cancer in-patient services in each of the last five years is not available centrally.
	However, in 2006 approximately £729 million was spent on cancer drugs. Around £4.35 billion is spent annually on cancer services. Approximately 27 per cent. of this is spent on in-patient costs (excluding those costs related to surgery).

Cholesterol

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the level of serum cholesterol above which the application of cholesterol-reducing measures among populations at risk of coronary heart disease is cost-effective;
	(2)  what information he has collected for benchmarking purposes on target serum cholesterol levels in  (a) the UK,  (b) other EU member states and  (c) the USA;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of heart attacks that might be avoided by treating serum cholesterol down to  (a) current quality and outcomes framework levels and  (b) the suggested JBS2 target levels among at-risk populations; and if he will make a statement.

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will commission research to establish down to what level of serum cholesterol value for money could be achieved in applying cholesterol-reducing measures among populations at risk of coronary heart disease;
	(2)  what reductions in serum cholesterol in at-risk populations have been achieved in  (a) spearhead primary care trusts (PCTs) and  (b) other PCTs; and what the Government's target reductions are in each case;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the effect on the number of heart attacks that would arise from treating serum cholesterol down to  (a) current quality outcomes framework levels and  (b) the proposed target levels of the Joint British Societies' guidelines on prevention of cardiovascular disease among at-risk populations;
	(4)  what information his Department holds for benchmarking purposes on target serum cholesterol levels in  (a) the UK,  (b) other EU member states and  (c) the USA; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: It is the role of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to set out best practice on standards for treatment and prevention of heart disease.
	In May 2008, NICE published a clinical guideline on lipid modification (managing cholesterol levels) entitled "Cardiovascular risk assessment and the modification of blood lipids for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease".
	NICE guidance is developed using the best available evidence from the scientific community. When reviewing the evidence, NICE ensures that the implementation of any new guidance is cost-effective for the local NHS organisations.
	Around three million people are currently receiving statin therapy to reduce cholesterol levels, saving an estimated 10,000 lives every year, as well as reducing the number of heart attacks.

Christmas

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what budget his Department has allocated for Christmas parties in 2008, broken down by  (a) directorate and  (b) unit.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has put aside no budget for Christmas parties in 2008.
	In line with previous practice, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State may host a reception for journalists in December. The cost, expected to be less than last year's cost of £1,079.30, would be met from the communications budget.

Dementia: Research

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2008,  Official Report, column 377W, on dementia: research, what estimate his Department had initially made of  (a) the number of written responses it would receive to the consultation and  (b) how long it would take to assess the financial implications of the final strategy.

Phil Hope: The Department had expected a significant response to the consultation, but no specific number of written responses was anticipated. The time taken to determine the financial implications of a strategy cannot easily be assessed in advance. This will always be dependant on any changes made to the contents following consultation.

Dental Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of the next national survey of oral health; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans his Department has put in place for the completion of a national oral health survey; when this survey is due to begin; and when he expects the findings of the survey will be reported to his Department;
	(3)  for what reason a national oral health survey was not undertaken in 2007-08; what steps he plans to take to commission a survey in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Planning took longer than anticipated, but we are pleased to confirm that the Department has now commissioned the National Health Service Information Centre to let a contract for an updated Adult Dental Health Survey within an allocation of £3 million. An EU procurement exercise is underway and it is anticipated that this will be completed, and that a contract will be let, by the end of 2008. Subject to tenders, the survey fieldwork is planned to begin in 2009, with results to be published by the end of 2010.

Dental Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what expenditure his Department incurred in undertaking the most recent national survey of oral health.

Ann Keen: The last national oral health survey, which was of children's oral health, was conducted in 2003 at a cost of £400,000.

Departmental Equality

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what equality and diversity awards his Department has  (a) been eligible for,  (b) been shortlisted for and  (c) won in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has not been nominated for any equality and diversity awards in the last 12 months.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) page hits and  (b) visitors his Department's website received in 2007-08. [Official Report, 10 December 2008, Vol. 485, c. 4MC.]

Ben Bradshaw: For the period January 2007 to October 2008 there were 190,428,774 page hits to the Department's website. For the same period, there were 18,115,842 unique visitors to the Department's website.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of maintaining his Department's website was in 2007-08; and what the forecast cost of maintaining it is in 2008-09.

Ben Bradshaw: The cost of maintaining the Department's website in 2007-08 was £1.169 million.
	The forecast cost of maintaining the Department's website in 2008-09 is £1.081 million.

Departmental Lost Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) equipment and  (b) data were lost by his Department in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not differentiate between stolen, missing or lost equipment. The portable equipment lost or stolen for the period April 2007 to March 2008 is as follows:
	
		
			  Items  Total items lost during the year 
			 Mobile phones 21 
			 Pagers 0 
			 Laptops 14 
			 Psions, PalmPilots, Ipaqs, Blackberrys 9 
			 Laptop Projectors 1 
			 Other IT equipment 0 
			 Total losses 45 
		
	
	The Department takes the security and protection of its assets very seriously. Its policy and procedures are constantly reviewed and cases of losses or thefts are investigated. As a further deterrent, the Department marks its portable equipment with an invisible forensic dye called Smartwater. The Department's Security Unit continues to raise security awareness and physical protection of information technology equipment among its staff.
	The Department has recorded one personal data related incident in 2007-08 in its Resource Accounts published on 10 October 2008. This concerned the Medical Training Application Service website where personal details of some junior doctors were erroneously made available as a result of action taken by a third party managing data on the Department's behalf, contrary to the instructions on data handling issued to them by the Department.

Departmental Manpower

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent posts there have been in each of his Department's arm's length bodies in each year since 2003-04; and what the planned staffing numbers for each such body are for each year to 2010-11.

Ben Bradshaw: The whole-time equivalent posts for each of the Department's arms length bodies, for the years 2004-05 to 2008-09, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Arms length bodies (ALBs) whole time equivalent posts from 2004-05 to 2008-09 
			  ALB  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 Forecast 
			 Healthcare Commission 771 771 889 830 828 
			 Mental Health Act Commission 36 43 42 42 48 
			 Commission for Social Care Inspection 2,622 2,492 2,335 2,098 1,502 
			 Monitor 28 28 28 50 50 
			 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority 106 103 82 82 82 
			 Human Tissue Authority 20 20 42 42 42 
			 Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence 11 11 12 12 15 
			 General Social Care Council(2) 262 264 301 228 252 
			 Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board(1) 36 67 51 50 58 
			 Dental Vocational Training Authority 3 — — — — 
			 Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency(1) 807 827 831 862 943 
			 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence 230 217 230 233 267 
			 National Patient Safety Agency 306 311 299 294 294 
			 Health Protection Agency(1) 3,214 3,287 3,248 3,394 3,414 
			 National Institute for Biological Standards and Control 308 313 313 312 325 
			 National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse 116 126 166 132 173 
			 Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health 189 118 114 114 0 
			 NHS Blood and Transplant 6,213 6,155 6,110 5,927 5,566 
			 NHS Litigation Authority 166 176 176 176 145 
			 Health and Social Care Information Centre(2) 366 366 354 316 468 
			 NHS Institute for Improvement and Innovation(2) 170 170 175 175 217 
			 NHS Appointments Commission 51 57 42 42 55 
			 NHS Logistics 1,462 1,462 0 — — 
			 NHS Business Services Authority 2,838 3,084 2,722 2,648 2,466 
			 NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency 356 353 332 332 289 
			 NHS Direct 3,461 3,461 2,227 — — 
			 NHS Professionals 807 742 740 740 393 
			 NHS Estates 412 0 — — — 
			 Totals 25,367 25,024 21,861 19,131 17,892 
			 (1 )Several ALBs undertake trading/income generation activities and increases in headcount reflect increases in activity. (2 )Several ALBs have been given additional areas of responsibility, which has resulted in additional headcount.  Notes: 1. See following table. 2. The ALB Review started in 2004-05 so figures have been provided from that year onwards. Figures for 2003-04 have not been previously collected so will require a significant exercise to obtain and therefore are not available at this moment in time. 3. The planning cycle for 2009-10 and 2010-11 is currently in hand so firm figures are not yet available. 4. For 2004-05 to 2007-08 the figures stated are actuals at the end of the financial year (31 March). For 2008-09 the data shown are the planned figures for 31 March 2009. 
		
	
	 Note  1.
	Connecting for Health is not an arms length body (ALB) but has previously been included in ALB figures so is shown for completeness.
	
		
			   Connecting for Health 
			 2004-05 786 
			 2005-06 605 
			 2006-07 605 
			 2007-08 605 
			 2008-09 forecast 605

Depressive Illnesses: Elderly

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of people aged 65 and over who have depression; what estimate he has made of the proportion of those people who have been  (a) diagnosed and  (b) treated; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Department does not have this information. However, data derived from the Business Services Authority's Exemption Category Estimates indicate that between July 2007 to June 2008, 40.2 per cent. of items dispensed for the treatment of depression were given to people aged 60 and over. This is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions dispensed in the community.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are  (a) in treatment for drug programmes,  (b) receiving abstinence-based residential rehabilitation and  (c) receiving abstinence-based rehabilitation on a day care basis.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) records data about people receiving structured drug treatment in England. The most recent NDTMS data are for 2007-08 and show that 202,666 individuals were in structured drug treatment. There were 4,306 recorded in residential rehabilitation and 6,742 adults received in-patient services in hospital. There may be some overlap between these two groups. NDTMS does not collect data on the number of patients receiving abstinence based rehabilitation on a day care basis.
	About one-third of the 100-plus providers of residential rehabilitation services in England do not submit any returns to NDTMS. As independent, voluntary sector organisations, they are not obliged to do so, and the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse has no powers to compel them.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which sites offer treatment incentives for drug users; and how many service users have been offered treatment incentives at each such site since the programme's inception, broken down by incentive offered.

Dawn Primarolo: The pilot programme of the use of incentives, also known as contingency management, began in June 2008, and currently involves 14 treatment services across England, offering a number of different treatment incentive models over varying timeframes. The programme finishes at the end of December, after which the programme's results and best practice guidance will be published. Information on the number of people offered incentives and the value of the incentives will be collected as part of the evaluation, but is not yet available.
	The 14 treatment services taking part in the pilot programme are:
	Addiction Recovery Agency, North Somerset Drug and Alcohol Agency Service;
	Barking and Dagenham Substance Misuse Engagement Team (Essex);
	Barnet Drug and Alcohol Service;
	Bath and North East Somerset Community Safety and Drug Partnership;
	Blood Borne Virus Project (Birmingham);
	Counted4Community Interest Company (Wearside Substance Misuse Team);
	Countywide Specialist Substance Misuse Service (CSSMS) (Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Trust);
	Drug Advisory Service (DASH) (Tottenham);
	Lambeth Harbour (Blenheim/CDP);
	Lancashire Care NHS Trust Substance Misuse Service;
	Mid Sussex Community Substance Misuse Team;
	Newcastle and North Tyneside Addictions Service;
	The Point Needle Exchange (Hull); and
	Project Answer (North Tyneside).

Enfield Primary Care Trust: Manpower

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) district nurses and  (b) health visitors were employed by Enfield Primary Care Trust in (i) 1997 and (ii) at the latest date for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The number of district nurse and health visitors employed by Enfield Primary Care Trust (PCT) in each year from 2001 to 2007 can be found in the following table. Enfield PCT was formed in October 2001; comparable figures prior to this date are not available.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: district nurses and health visitors in Enfield primary care trust as at 30 September each specified year 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Health visitors 55 59 65 58 56 50 50 
			 District nurses 43 51 70 65 114 105 129 
			  Notes: 1. Enfield PCT was formed in October 2001. Comparable figures prior to this date are not available. 2. Data quality: work force statistics are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data. Processing methods and procedures are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where this happens, any impact on figures already published will be assessed but unless this is significant at national level, they will not be changed. Where there is impact only at detailed or local level, this will be footnoted in relevant analyses.  Source: The NHS Information Centre Non Medical Workforce Census.

Ex-servicemen: Mental Health Services

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is provided to GPs on the range of NHS services available to ex-military personnel suffering from combat stress and associated problems.

Ben Bradshaw: The vast majority of ex-military personnel receive treatment for service related and other difficulties in the same way as the rest of the population.
	To ensure that the national health service is doing all that it can for people who have served their country, we have created two additional initiatives. We have set up pilot schemes in nine NHS Mental Health Trusts in the UK to help ensure that veterans are able to access the treatment they need. We are evaluating this with the intention of rolling out best practice throughout the NHS.
	Although we have not issued specific guidance to general practitioners (GPs) we have recently issued a document entitled Commissioning IAPT for the Whole Community that makes specific reference to the ways in which primary care trusts can ensure that their veterans population has access to the mental health help they need. We would expect that this guidance would inform local commissioning of primary care services, including GPs.

General Practitioners: Disadvantaged

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on the opening of new general practitioner practices in deprived areas; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: We are introducing 112 new general practitioner (GP) practices in the areas that need them most as part of the £250 million investment in new primary care services. We have made good progress to date, with the majority of primary care trusts (PCTs) on target to award and sign contracts by the end of December 2008 with service commencement expected during 2009. The new practices will help to address existing inequalities of health care around the country, by providing more capacity in primary care, and more choice for patients in the most deprived areas of where and when they can access GP services.

General Practitioners: Pay

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made for benchmarking purposes of average pay for general practitioners in  (a) the UK,  (b) other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries and  (c) other EU countries.

Ann Keen: Since the introduction of the new general practitioner (GP) contract in 2004, GP practices in the UK have been able to increase their income by increasing the range and quality of services they provide for their patients, for example by extending their surgery opening times. This is reflected in the average pay of a general practitioner partner. It is not possible to compare the level and quality of services provided in the UK with that in other countries and any benchmarking of average pay would therefore be of very limited value.

Health Centres

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2008,  Official Report, column 64W, on health centres, 
	(1)  what the postcode of each planned new GP-led health centre is; what the expected service commencement date of each is; and in which primary care trust each is to be located, according to the most recent monthly update information provided by primary care trusts;
	(2)  against which core criteria of his Department's GP-led health centres programme he requires primary care trusts to provide monthly updates.

Ben Bradshaw: A table containing the latest information has been placed in the Library.
	The core criteria that primary care trusts are asked to report against in their monthly returns is set out as follows:
	Achievement of last milestone;
	Expected achievement of next milestone;
	Last completed task;
	Expected service commencement;
	Specification meets core criteria; and
	Postcode location.

Health Insurance

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the number of people who have private medical insurance.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not routinely collect this information centrally.
	However, Laing's Healthcare Market Review estimates that there were 3,683,000 private medical insurance subscribers in the United Kingdom at the end of 2007.
	 Source:
	Laing's Healthcare Market Review—21st Edition 2008-09, Laing and Buisson 2008.

Health Services: Discrimination

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason age is not included in the draft NHS Constitution as a basis for discrimination in the provision of NHS services.

Ann Keen: The draft NHS constitution, which was open for consultation until 17 October, makes a powerful commitment against unfair discrimination of any kind.
	The first principle in the draft constitution is that
	"the NHS provides a comprehensive service, available to all irrespective of gender, race, disability, age, religion or sexual orientation".
	The draft constitution also says that patients
	"have the right not to be unlawfully discriminated against in the provision of NHS services including on grounds of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, disability (including learning disability or mental illness)".
	The only reason this list does not include age is that the draft constitution only refers to "rights" that are legally binding, and age discrimination is not currently prohibited by law.
	However, the Government have made clear in the 2008-09 draft legislative programme that we intend to legislate on age discrimination in a forthcoming Equality Bill. Subject to parliamentary approval, age discrimination will become unlawful and will therefore automatically be covered by the right not to be unlawfully discriminated against.

Healthy Start Scheme

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people  (a) qualified for Healthy Start,  (b) took up Healthy Start vouchers and  (c) used Healthy Start vouchers to purchase Healthy Start products in each year since Healthy Start began.

Dawn Primarolo: The numbers qualifying for Healthy Start fluctuate according to the numbers of pregnant women and young children in families getting the qualifying benefits and tax credits. We estimate that approximately 473,000 families qualified for support from the scheme when it was launched across the UK on 28 November 2006. All of these families were transferred automatically from the old Welfare Food Scheme onto the new scheme without having to apply for it.
	On 27 October 2008, approximately 409,500 families were receiving vouchers.
	Most Healthy Start vouchers are issued for use within a specific four-week period and retailers have six months from the end of that period to claim payment for them. Retailers claimed payment for approximately 87 per cent. of all vouchers issued for use between 27 November 2006 and 25 November 2007. This rose to 89 per cent. of all vouchers issued for use between 26 November 2007 and 16 March 2008.

Hepatitis

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 424-5W, on hepatitis, how many drugs were dispensed for the treatment of hepatitis B in each strategic health authority area in each year since 1997, broken down by type of drug.

Dawn Primarolo: The following three tables show the number of prescription items dispensed in the community for the treatment of hepatitis B. The information is provided according to the individual British National Formulary (BNF) categories hepatitis B drugs fall within. Figures are split by strategic health authority (SHA) and presented in thousands. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in hospitals, including mental health trusts, or private prescriptions.
	Due to the disclosive nature of the data, it was not possible to present the data by type of drug. As such, data were aggregated to BNF category to maintain some measure of difference between drug type.
	
		
			  BNF paragraph 8.2.4—Other immunomodulating drugs 
			  Number of prescription items used in the treatment of hepatitis B from BNF section 8.2.4, which were dispensed in the community in England from July 2003 to June 2008( 1) 
			  Thousand 
			  SHA( 2,)( )( 3)  Jul-Dec 2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  Jan-Jun 2008 
			 East Midlands 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 (4)— 
			 East of England 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 (4)— 
			 London 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 
			 North East (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— 
			 North West 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 
			 South Central 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 (4)— 
			 South East Coast 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 South West 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 
			 West Midlands 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber (4)— 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 (4)— 
			 England 1.0 1.7 1.7 1.3 1.3 0.6 
			 (1) Information at SHA level is only available for the past 60 months. (2) The data have been structured in line with current SHA arrangements. The structure changed during 2006 where the number of SHA reduced. (3) The tables show drugs which may be used to treat hepatitis B, by SHA. (4) Indicates 50 or fewer items were dispensed during the period  Source: The Prescription Pricing Division of the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA (PPD)) 
		
	
	
		
			  BNF paragraph 5.3.3—Viral hepatitis 
			  Number of prescription items used in the treatment of hepatitis B from BNF section 5.3.3, which were dispensed in the community in England from July 2003 to June 2008( 1) 
			  Thousand 
			  SHA( 2,)( )( 3)  Jul-Dec 2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  Jan-Jun 2008 
			 East Midlands (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— 0.1 0.1 
			 East of England (4)— (4)— 0.1 (4)— 0.1 0.1 
			 London 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.5 0.6 0.3 
			 North East (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— 
			 North West (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— 0.1 0.1 
			 South Central (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— 0.1 0.1 
			 South East Coast (4)— (4)— 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 South West (4)— (4)— (4)— 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 West Midlands (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— 0.1 0.1 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— 0.1 0.1 
			 England 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.9 1.5 1.0 
			 (1) Information at SHA level is only available for the past 60 months. (2) The data have been structured in line with current SHA arrangements. The structure changed during 2006 where the number of SHA reduced. (3) The tables show drugs which may be used to treat hepatitis B, by SHA. (4) Indicates 50 or fewer items were dispensed during the period  Source: The Prescription Pricing Division of the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA (PPD)) 
		
	
	
		
			  BNF paragraph 5.3.1-HIV infection 
			  Number of prescription items used in the treatment of hepatitis B from BNF section 5.3.1, which were dispensed in the community in England from July 2003 to June 2008( 1) 
			  Thousand 
			  SHA( 2,)( )( 3)  Jul-Dec 2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  Jan-Jun 2008 
			 East Midlands 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.2 
			 East of England 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.4 
			 London 0.7 1.7 1.9 2.4 3 1.6 
			 North East 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.1 
			 North West 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.4 
			 South Central 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 
			 South East Coast 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.2 
			 South West 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.2 
			 West Midlands 0.3 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.4 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.3 
			 England 2.0 4.5 5.1 6.4 7.4 4.0 
			 (1) Information at SHA level is only available for the past 60 months. (2) The data have been structured in line with current SHA arrangements. The structure changed during 2006 where the number of SHA reduced. (3) The tables show drugs which may be used to treat hepatitis B, by SHA. (4) Indicates 50 or fewer items were dispensed during the period  Source: The Prescription Pricing Division of the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA (PPD)) 
		
	
	The following product list was identified for use in the treatment of hepatitis B. It includes specific brands licensed for the treatment of hepatitis B and drugs that may also be licensed for use in other indications. BNF 55, NHS Choices Map of Medicine and NICE Technology Appraisal 96 have been used to identify the products. The data provided have been aggregated from the following specific brands to the respective BNF category as indicated. It does not include those products used for the prevention of hepatitis B.
	BNF Paragraph 8.2.4: Other immunomodulating drugs; includes the products IntronA, Pegasys, Roferon-A and Viraferon. These drugs can also be used in other indications. Other products in this BNF chapter not used in the treatment of hepatitis B have been excluded.
	BNF Paragraph 5.3.3: Viral hepatitis; includes the products Baraclude, Hepsera and Sebivo. These drugs are only indicated for use with hepatitis B.
	BNF Category 5.3.1: HIV infection; includes the products Viread and Zeffix. These drugs can also be used in other indications. Other products in this BNF chapter not used in the treatment of hepatitis B have been excluded.

Herbal Medicine: Licensing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency on its proposals for increasing charges for herbal product registrations under the provisions of the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive; what assessment the Agency has made of the impact of such increases on small and medium-sized manufacturers of herbal remedies; and what assessment he has made of the effect of those increases on the costs of compliance with the provisions of the Directive.

Dawn Primarolo: I recently approved the proposals of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to consult on increasing its fees from 1 April 2009. Those proposals affect all sectors of the pharmaceutical industry and include a general increase in fees for the traditional herbal sector of around 4 per cent. The consultation letter, including an impact assessment of the proposals, was published on 15 October 2008 and all sectors of the pharmaceutical industry have been alerted and invited to comment. The consultation exercise closes on 7 January 2009 and the MHRA would particularly welcome comments from smaller and medium sized companies. A copy of the consultation letter including the impact assessment proposals has been placed in the Library.

Hospital Episode Statistics

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the Hospital Episode Statistics for 2007-08 to be available.

Ben Bradshaw: The 2007-08 Hospital Episodes Statistics data will be published in the week commencing 15 December 2008.

Liver Diseases: Screening

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce a national screening programme for liver disease.

Ann Keen: The Government have no current plans to introduce a national screening programme for liver disease.
	We are concerned about the increasing incidence of and mortality from liver disease. We are already taking action on a number of fronts to combat its primary causes—alcohol misuse, viral hepatitis and obesity.
	We are now considering the possibility of developing a national plan for liver disease, which would cover early detection and health promotion as well as the full range of health services.

Malnutrition: Standards

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 298W, on malnutrition: standards, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the arrangements that general practitioners have in place to ensure the identification of patients with malnutrition; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The identification of patients suffering from malnutrition would be considered as part of the provision of normal essential services delivered in general practice.
	This requires practitioners to exercise their clinical judgment on a case-by-case basis recognising the needs of individual patients and based on modern authoritative practice. Primary care trusts are responsible for managing contracts with practices and ensuring they deliver the requirements in the contract, including essential services.

NHS: Information and Communications  Technology

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1761W, on the NHS: ICT, whether the contractual limitation on payments which applies to his Department's liability provides that Fujitsu shall not be paid  (a) the full value of the contract and  (b) for work not delivered.

Ben Bradshaw: The contractual limitations and terms applicable to the Fujitsu contract provide that Fujitsu will not be paid for any work not delivered. Similarly, the full value of the contract is greater than the financial cap on the Department's liability.

NHS: Personal Records

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 909-10W, on NHS: personal records, if he will place in the Library a copy of each report by the National Patient Safety Agency on incidents relating to patient safety made since December 2007.

Ann Keen: The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has published two quarterly data summary reports from the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS) since December 2007. Issues eight and nine of Patient safety incident reports in the NHS: National Reporting and Learning System Data Summary have been placed in the Library.

NHS: Translation Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the  (a) West Hertfordshire NHS Acute Trust and  (b) West Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust spent on translators in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007 and (iv) 2008 to date.

Ben Bradshaw: The data requested are not collected centrally. National health service bodies are not required to report their planned or actual spending on interpretation and translation services to the Department. When planning such services, NHS bodies should take account of their legal duties, the composition of the communities they serve, and the needs and circumstances of their patients, service users and local populations.

Nurses: Ethics

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidance  (a) his Department and  (b) the Chief Nursing Officer have issued to primary care trusts on procedures for appointment of nurses to hospital posts with duties including termination of pregnancy since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether student nurses are required to undertake duties involving termination of pregnancy as part of their training; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department last issued guidance in 1994 in PL CMO(94)8 and PL CNO(94)10 "Termination of pregnancy by medical methods: the role of the registered nurse or midwife and others who are not registered medical practitioners". The document has been placed in the Library. In addition, the Royal College of Nursing issued guidance in October 2008: "Abortion care, RCN guidance for nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses".
	Both documents reaffirm that section 4 of the Abortion Act 1967 allows nurses to opt out of participating in any treatment for abortion to which they have a conscientious objection. As such, student nurses are not required to undertake termination of pregnancy as part of their training but they are taught theory and implications of the Abortion Act.

Nurses: Pay

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library copies of papers and correspondence written by  (a) his Chief Nursing Officer,  (b) his Director General of Workforce and  (c) the NHS Chief Executive on the 2007-08 pay settlement for nurses in the NHS.

Ann Keen: We are not aware of any official comments made by the Chief Nursing Officer, the Director General of Workforce or the NHS Chief Executive David Nicholson regarding the 2007-2008 pay settlement for nurses in the NHS.

Offensive Weapons: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged 16 years and under were arrested for carrying knives in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and  (b) the London Borough of Bexley in the last year for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not available.
	The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery.
	From these centrally reported data we are not able to identify knife possession offences from within the main offence groups.

Oxygen: Medical Equipment

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients received home oxygen in each  (a) supplier and  (b) primary care trust area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not collect this information.

Palliative Care

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the use of the Liverpool Pathway for Terminal Care.

Phil Hope: The Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient (LCP) is an established and respected evidence-based tool that is used extensively throughout the national health service for the care of people at the end of life. It is recommended in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's Guidance on Supportive and Palliative Care and is also commended in the Government's recently published End of Life Care Strategy for adults. The Government supported the roll-out of the LCP, and other tried and tested tools, through the NHS End of Life Care programme (2004 to 2007) to help improve the care given to people at the end of life.

Powers of Entry

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many powers of entry have been established in legislation introduced by his Department since 1997; and how many have been abolished.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the right hon. and learned Member to the written answer given to him by the Home Office on 22 October 2008,  Official Report, column 452W, as well as the revised table which has already been placed in the Library to which the response refers.

Primary Care Trusts

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what spearhead group primary care trusts there are; whether the group is changed as appropriate with each change in the index of multiple deprivation; and what targets there are in which the spearhead trusts are differentiated from other trusts.

Ben Bradshaw: There are 70 local authorities in the Spearhead Group that map to 62 primary care trusts. The names of the Spearhead Group trusts are in the following table. The group was established as part of the 2004 Spending Review using the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004, among other criteria. The Spearhead Group is fixed and does not change if the deprivation index changes.
	The public service agreement targets for life expectancy inequalities and the inequalities elements of the cancer and heart disease PSA targets specifically aim to narrow the inequality gap between the Spearhead Group and the England average.
	 Local authorities in the Spearhead Group
	Barking and Dagenham
	Barnsley
	Barrow-in-Furness
	Birmingham
	Blackburn with Darwen
	Blackpool
	Blyth Valley
	Bolsover
	Bolton
	Bradford
	Burnley
	Bury
	Carlisle
	Chester-le-Street
	Corby
	Coventry
	Derwentside
	Doncaster
	Easington
	Gateshead
	Greenwich
	Hackney
	Halton
	Hammersmith and Fulham
	Haringey
	Hartlepool
	Hyndburn
	Islington
	Kingston upon Hull, City of
	Knowsley
	Lambeth
	Leicester
	Lewisham
	Lincoln
	Liverpool
	Manchester
	Middlesbrough
	Newcastle upon Tyne
	Newham
	North East Lincolnshire
	North Tyneside
	Nottingham
	Nuneaton and Bedworth
	Oldham
	Pendle
	Preston
	Redcar and Cleveland
	Rochdale
	Rossendale
	Rotherham
	Salford
	Sandwell
	Sedgefield
	South Tyneside
	Southwark
	St. Helens
	Stockton-on-Tees
	Stoke-on-Trent
	Sunderland
	Tameside
	Tamworth
	Tower Hamlets
	Wakefield
	Walsall
	Wansbeck
	Warrington
	Wear Valley
	Wigan
	Wirral
	Wolverhampton
	 Primary care trusts in the Spearhead Group
	Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT
	Barking and Dagenham PCT
	Barnsley PCT
	Birmingham East and North PCT
	Blackburn with Darwen PCT
	Blackpool PCT
	Bolton PCT
	Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT
	Bury PCT
	Central Lancashire PCT
	City and Hackney Teaching PCT
	County Durham PCT
	Coventry Teaching PCT
	Cumbria PCT
	Derbyshire County PCT
	Doncaster PCT
	East Lancashire Teaching PCT
	Gateshead PCT
	Greenwich Teaching PCT
	Halton and St. Helens PCT
	Hammersmith and Fulham PCT
	Haringey Teaching PCT
	Hartlepool PCT
	Heart of Birmingham PCT
	Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT
	Hull Teaching PCT
	Islington PCT
	Knowsley PCT
	Lambeth PCT
	Leicester City PCT
	Lewisham PCT
	Lincolnshire Teaching PCT
	Liverpool PCT
	Manchester PCT
	Middlesbrough PCT
	Newcastle PCT
	Newham PCT
	North East Lincolnshire PCT
	North Tees PCT
	North Tyneside PCT
	Northamptonshire Teaching PCT
	Northumberland Care Trust
	Nottingham City PCT
	Oldham PCT
	Redcar and Cleveland PCT
	Rotherham PCT
	Salford PCT
	Sandwell PCT
	South Birmingham PCT
	South Staffordshire PCT
	South Tyneside PCT
	Southwark PCT
	Stoke on Trent PCT
	Sunderland Teaching PCT
	Tameside and Glossop PCT
	Tower Hamlets PCT
	Wakefield District PCT
	Walsall Teaching PCT
	Warrington PCT
	Warwickshire PCT
	Wirral PCT
	Wolverhampton City PCT

Slaughterhouses: Inspections

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what inspection costs were incurred by abattoirs in each region in each of the last 10 years.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 10 November 2008
	The gross operating cost of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) by region—including inspection activities in abattoirs, tasks for Government Departments such as Food Standards Agency and Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, and administrative and managerial support costs—is shown in the following table for 2003-04 to 2007-08.
	Regional information for 1998-99 to 2002-03 is not readily available in the required format.
	
		
			  Gross costs for Meat Hygiene Service 
			  £ million 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08( 1) 
			 North 16.5 16.3 17.0 18.4 17.7 
			 Central 22.0 21.1 21.7 22.9 22.2 
			 South and West 14.0 14.1 14.7 15.6 14.4 
			 Wales(2) 10.5 10.8 11.7 11.1 9.8 
			 Scotland(2) 9.2 9.4 10.2 11.0 10.3 
			   
			 Headquarters(3) 9.8 12.0 12.9 12.3 12.7 
			   
			 Total 82.0 83.7 88.2 91.3 87.1 
			 (1) Costs in 2007-08 exclude transformation programme costs of £10.6 million. (2) The Wales and Scotland regions both include parts of England. (3) Headquarters costs include some costs that relate to the regions but which are not allocated. These include: pension costs, depreciation, relocation costs and redundancy payments.  Note: The MHS regional management structure was disbanded between April and July 2008 as part of a transformation programme.

Third Sector Investment Programme

Frank Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which organisations are still under consideration for funding under the Third Sector Investment Programme for 2009;
	(2)  which organisations were unsuccessful in their applications for the second stage of the Third Sector Investment Programme for 2009.

Phil Hope: The application process for the 2009-10 Third Sector Investment Programme is under way. As at noon on 31 October, 988 applications had been received. Of these, 254 had been put forward to the second stage of the application process and 696 had been declined. The relevant applicants have been notified in each case. 38 remain under consideration. A list of the organisations in each category has been placed in the Library.
	Final decisions on funding are expected to be made in the new year.

Tomography

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1034W, on tomography, if he will break down the figures for the provision of  (a) computerised tomography scanners,  (b) magnetic resonance imaging scanners and  (c) linear accelerators by NHS trusts in each year since 2000.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not routinely collect this data centrally. However, information supplied by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) relating to the English national health service as at September 2008 has been placed in the Library. The document shows the number of computed tomography scanners, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners and linear accelerators (linacs.) provided to each NHS trust in the years 2000 to 2008.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Violence Against Women

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken in international forums to support measures to eliminate violence against women.

Gillian Merron: The Government condemns all forms of violence against women. We actively seek to eradicate it through changing attitudes internationally and on the ground. Notably, we worked to achieve consensus on a UN resolution which commits all member states to act to tackle violence against women. We have also agreed new European guidelines which mean that the EU will now lobby globally to combat violence against women.

Tibet

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the latest rounds of talks between the Chinese Government and Tibetan representatives; and whether the UK has offered to play any role in the talks.

Bill Rammell: The Government are not a party to the dialogue between the Chinese Government and the Dalai Lama's representatives, but we have made clear our close interest in their progress, including to the visiting Assistant Foreign Minister last week. We are concerned at reports suggesting lack of progress at the latest round. We urge both parties to work together to achieve a negotiated solution, within the framework of the Chinese constitution.

Middle East

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of prospects for peace in the middle east; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Annapolis process has been a first step to restoring trust between the parties. We should seek to build on it to create a process which can deliver a broader peace, in which all exercise their rights and fulfil their responsibilities. This would be a true settlement between Israel and all Arab states. I hope it will be given new momentum from the beginning of the new Administration in the USA.

NATO-Russia Council

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects the NATO-Russia Council to convene; and what the agenda will be.

Bill Rammell: The NATO-Russia Council was suspended following the conflict in Georgia in August. When it restarts will depend on Russia's implementation of the Sarkozy/Medvedev peace agreements and progress in the Geneva process.
	NATO-Russia dialogue and practical co-operation continues to cover a range of issues of common interest, including Afghanistan, counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation.

Anglo-American Relations

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what priorities he has identified for discussion with the incoming Administration in the US.

Gillian Merron: We will continue to work closely with the current Administration in the period up to inauguration. Thereafter, we look forward to engaging with President-Elect Obama and his Administration, maintaining our strong partnership with the US, in our continuing effort to address the problems threatening global prosperity today—of course, these include the world economy and reform of international financial institutions, key foreign policy issues (Iran, Middle East Peace Process, Afghanistan, Pakistan) and energy.

Anglo-American Relations

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he first plans to meet the President-Elect of the United States to discuss US-British relations; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: It is too early to get to make those sorts of plans. But my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, other Cabinet colleagues and I look forward to close working relationships next year, This will of course involve face-to-face meetings in the US, UK and elsewhere. For now, our priority remains continuing our close working relationship with the current Administration.

Colombian Armed Forces

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on  (a) accusations against and  (b) suspensions of officers of the Colombian armed forces who have received UK training; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: We have received no information or evidence that officers who have received UK training have been involved in abuses.
	My public statement of 30 October stressed the importance of the Colombian Government's decision to dismiss a number of officers for abuses recently attributed to Colombian Army officers, and for failures in exercising effective command. The resignation of the head of its armed forces is a further notable step.
	It is vital that the Colombian Government remain determined to deal with abuses committed by their armed forces, which have no place in any society.

International Economic Situation

Patrick Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a co-ordinated EU response to the international economic situation.

Caroline Flint: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has regular and comprehensive discussions on the EU's response to the international economic situation with the Chancellor, as well as with other ministerial colleagues. The subject is frequently discussed at Cabinet meetings, and at meetings of the National Economic Council. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the Chancellor all attended the October European Council, where discussion focused on this area.

Iran

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the human rights situation in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We remain deeply concerned by Iran's deteriorating human rights record. We are particularly concerned by the increasing use of the death penalty including its continued use against juvenile offenders—the seventh confirmed juvenile execution this year took place in October; the draft penal code which would impose mandatory death penalty for apostasy; growing restrictions on freedom of expression and the treatment of minorities including the Baha'i community.

Iraq

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Since the removal of the Saddam regime, foundations have been laid in Iraq for the creation of a society based on full respect for human rights. Adoption of a constitution encompassing human rights principles was a key step forward. A number of areas of concern remain and we monitor the situation closely.
	We have a regular dialogue with the Iraqi Government, including through the work done by my right hon. Friend the Member for Cynon Valley (Ann Clywd) in her role as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for human rights in Iraq. Through this dialogue we aim to keep human rights high on the Iraqi Government's agenda.

Arab Peace Initiative

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Israeli government on the Arab peace initiative.

Bill Rammell: The Arab Peace Initiative is important as it offers full normalisation of relations with Israel in exchange for withdrawal from occupied land. We are discussing with all our partners how this can help reinforce the Annapolis talks. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has discussed this in recent weeks with both the Israeli Foreign and Defence Ministers.

Nuclear Proliferation

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on future negotiations on nuclear proliferation.

Bill Rammell: We are committed to a successful Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in 2010, and will work to promote consensus around key measures to strengthen the treaty's three pillars. These include zero tolerance of proliferation; a clear forward plan on multilateral nuclear disarmament and supporting the right to the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Small Arms

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with foreign counterparts on the effects of the sale of small arms; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: I have had no specific discussions limited to small arms. However, at the July 2008 UN Biennial Meeting of States that discussed implementation of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, the UK highlighted how illicit trade in these armaments can threaten international peace and security. Separately, the UK is leading international efforts on securing agreement to an Arms Trade treaty that covers all conventional weapons, including small arms. In the run up to consideration of a UK sponsored ATT UN General Assembly resolution, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary recently spoke to a number of his counterparts to seek their support, including the US, Egypt, India and Pakistan.

Afghanistan

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Afghanistan is one of the Government's top foreign policy priorities. Much is at stake and many challenges remain. But it is important to remember that in recent years we have seen significant political progress. Afghanistan now has a constitution, and a democratically elected President and Parliament. At the local and district level, and with the support of the international community, the Government of Afghanistan continues to work to improve governance structures. Presidential, parliamentary and provincial elections due to take place in 2009 and 2010 will give the Afghan people a further opportunity to shape their Government and express their will about Afghanistan's political future. We are working closely with the Government of Afghanistan and the international community to support Afghanistan's development.

China: Arrests

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the UK Embassy in Beijing made to the Chinese Government following the arrest on 24 August 2008 of the right reverend Bishop Jia, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Zhengding Diocese in Hebei Province.

Bill Rammell: The UK has raised the case of Bishop Jia Zhiguo with the Chinese authorities at various times in the past, though we have not made representations over his most recent arrest. We have supported the inclusion of Bishop Jia in the list of cases of concern which the EU side will raise during the EU-China human rights dialogue at the end of November. We remain concerned both about Bishop Jia's specific case and about the wider issues it raises with regard to religious freedom in China.

India: Christianity

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of India on incidents of violence towards Christians in Orissa state.

Bill Rammell: We have expressed our concerns directly with the Indian Government and their representatives. On 1 October, my noble Friend the Minister of State for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, raised the matter with the Indian high commissioner in London. On 17 October, he also discussed our concerns with Anand Sharma, Indian Minister of External Affairs, and Mohammed Quereshi, chairman of the Minorities Commission in New Delhi. The issue of religious freedom is due to be raised at the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue in New Delhi later this year.

Iraq: Christianity

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Human Rights in Iraq last raised the subject of the persecution of Christians in Mosul with the government of Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Human Rights in Iraq, my right hon. Friend the Member for Cynon Valley (Ann Clwyd), raised the subject of the persecution of Christians and other minorities in Mosul in a meeting with the Iraqi Minister for Human Rights in Geneva on 15 October 2008. The Minister confirmed that her government was taking this issue very seriously and providing necessary assistance.

Israel: Overseas Residence

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the British Consulate in Jerusalem provides consular assistance to UK nationals living in Israeli settlements.

Bill Rammell: The British Consulate General in Jerusalem would provide assistance under our policy to a mono-British national living in an illegal settlement. We would not normally offer support to a dual national if he were within the state of his other nationality, or within an area controlled by that state. We may make an exception to this rule if, having looked at the circumstances of the case, we consider there is a special humanitarian reason for doing so.

Kosovo: Ethnic Groups

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a Government representative last visited the displaced persons Roma sites in Kosovo; and what the result of their investigations was.

Caroline Flint: Department for International Development officials visited the Roma camps in Kosovo in April 2008. Senior representatives from our embassy in Pristina have attended a number of meetings, including one organised by the Roma community itself, and conferences about the situation of the Roma. The last such meeting was on 13 June 2008.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Rotherham (Mr. MacShane) on 4 November 2008,  Official Report, column 282W.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of acts of terrorism which have been committed by proscribed armed Palestinian groups in  (a) the West Bank and East Jerusalem and  (b) Israel in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of acts of violence committed by Palestinians against Israeli civilians in  (a) the West Bank and East Jerusalem and  (b) Israel in the last 12 months.

Bill Rammell: The vast majority of attacks against Israeli civilians in the past year have been rocket attacks fired from Gaza at towns in the south of Israel. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has stated that over 1,000 rockets and 1,000 mortars have been fired from Gaza towards Israel since the beginning of 2008. Three Israeli civilians have been killed. We welcome the ceasefire which since June has very significantly reduced the number of these attacks.
	According to the Israeli MFA 14 other Israeli civilians have been killed in attacks by Palestinians in Israel since the beginning of this year. And according to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) two Israeli civilians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem during 2008.
	We do not hold figures for all acts of violence since reporting is inconsistent. The responsibility for individual attacks is difficult to ascribe because rival groups often claim responsibility for individual attacks. However, we believe that the majority of rocket attacks and attacks on the area surrounding the Gaza Strip during 2008 as well as the suicide attack in Dimona were carried out by Hamas. Other significant organisations thought to have launched rockets are Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received reports from the Israeli government on acts of terrorism committed by Israeli settlers and settler organisations in  (a) the West Bank and East Jerusalem and  (b) Israel in the last 12 months.

Bill Rammell: We have received no such direct reports from the Israeli government. However we are deeply concerned at the rising number of violent attacks—principally against Palestinian civilians but also against Israeli military personnel—carried out by Israelis living in illegal settlements. These include reports of rocket attacks against Palestinian villages. The Israeli government, including the Prime Minister, has condemned the violence carried out by the settlers. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised this with Defence Minister Ehud Barak, on 20 October.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of acts of violence which have been committed by Israeli military personnel against Palestinian civilians in  (a) the West Bank and East Jerusalem and  (b) Israel in the last 12 months.

Bill Rammell: We have not made an estimate of the total number of acts of violence committed by Israeli military personnel against Palestinian civilians. The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) records that between July 2007 and July 2008, 76 Palestinians were killed and 1,200 Palestinians were injured in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as a result of incidents directly related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the proposal made by the Australian Government to the United Nations General Assembly First Committee on 15 October 2008 on the global non-proliferation regime in the period running up to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in 2010.

Bill Rammell: The United Kingdom shares Australia's commitment to strengthening the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and to a successful NPT Review Conference in 2010. The Prime Minister has written to Prime Minister Rudd welcoming the establishment of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament and the appointment of Baroness Williams of Crosby as a Commissioner. We share the objective of making substantive progress on nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Occupied Territories: Housing

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the position of Palestinians seeking to recover their property inside illegal Israeli settlements from UK residents and companies.

Bill Rammell: We have had no such discussions.

Occupied Territories: Housing

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the British Consulate in Jerusalem has provided guidance to UK nationals living in Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories about the risk attached to legal title of property therein.

Bill Rammell: We have not provided any such advice. We would discourage any British national from purchasing property in a settlement. We consider all settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to be illegal under international law and a serious obstacle to peace. Potential purchasers should also consider that a future peace agreement could have consequences for property they purchase in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Overseas Residence: Death

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what records his Department holds of the number of UK nationals who died overseas in each year since 1990, broken down by country of death.

Gillian Merron: The information requested is extensive. I have written to the hon. Member with an answer to his question, and arranged for a copy of my letter to be placed in the Library of the House.

Palestinians: EU External Trade

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to ensure the Israeli government allows the EU-Palestinian Interim Association Agreement to operate in full.

Bill Rammell: We continue to call both unilaterally and through the EU on the Israeli government to fully recognise and facilitate the implementation of the EU-PLO Interim Association Agreement.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Sudan on progress towards the disarmament of militia and other government-affiliated forces in Darfur; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Government of Sudan committed under the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) in 2005 to disarm militia and other government-affiliated forces in Darfur. Not all parties to the conflict signed the DPA and due to the ongoing conflict the DPA has not been fully implemented. We are pressing the Government of Sudan to uphold their commitments under the DPA and to engage fully in the ongoing Darfur peace process. On 27 September, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Taha in New York to discuss the Darfur peace process, to urge progress on co-operation with the International Criminal Court, and allow the full deployment of the UN-African Union Peacekeeping Mission (UNAMID) for full humanitarian access, and to work for wider political reform in Sudan, including free and fair elections in 2009.

Sudan: Politics and Government

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in the multi-party Sudan People's Initiative since its announcement in July 2008; and what discussions officials in his Department have had with the government of Sudan regarding this initiative.

Gillian Merron: The Sudan People's Initiative (SPI) on Darfur was launched in Khartoum on 16 October 2008 and followed with further discussions in Kenana on 18 October. Officials from our embassy in Khartoum attended these events and continue to discuss the ongoing process with all the parties. Michael O'Neill, UK Special Representative for Sudan, discussed the prospects for the initiative in Khartoum on 20 October. We welcome all constructive initiatives towards peace in Darfur under the overall leadership of the UN-African Union Chief Mediator for Darfur, Djibril Bassolé.

Sudan: War Crimes

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of Sudan on the arrest of Ali Kushayb; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: We are aware of reports that Ali Kushayb has been arrested in Sudan and could be tried by the Government of Sudan. We continue to call on the Government of Sudan to co-operate fully with the International Criminal Court over the two existing arrest warrants, which includes one for Kushayb. We hope Kushayb's arrest is a step towards this. There can be no impunity for crimes committed in Darfur.

Telephones

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many telephone lines serviced his private office at the end of each of the last five financial years; and how many serviced the office on 22 July 2008.

Gillian Merron: As at 22 July 2008, there were 22 telephone lines recorded in use, covering the Foreign Secretary, Private Secretary, clerical staff, special advisers and fax machines. Information is not available for the last five years.

USA: Capital Punishment

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will inform the incoming President of the United States of the Government's opposition to the death penalty.

Bill Rammell: The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, and the US is aware of our stance. The UK raises our opposition to the death penalty in the US with the appropriate authorities in both bilateral dialogue and through the EU. We will continue this policy with any future Administrations until the practice of capital punishment is abolished throughout the United States of America.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Adoption

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many children have been added to the adoption register in each year since its creation;
	(2)  how many  (a) couples and  (b) single people approved to adopt have been added to the adoption register in each year since its creation.

Beverley Hughes: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 5 November, 2008  Official Report, column 579W.

Children in Care: Crime

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he has taken to assist local authorities in preventing children in their care becoming involved in crime.

Beverley Hughes: The vast majority of looked after children do not commit offences. However we recognise that as a group they are more likely to be subject to a final reprimand or warning or convicted of a crime than other children. To support local authorities as responsible corporate parents to do all they can to prevent looked after children becoming involved in crime, we have issued a range of materials. In 2005 the Government funded the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NACRO) to produce a handbook for local authorities on reducing offending by looked after children with practical examples setting out how authorities might work with partner agencies to reduce offending by looked after children. We also supported the National Children's Bureau to research and publish "Tell Them Not to Forget About Us"—a guide to practice with looked after children in custody. A copy of this was sent to every director of Children's Services and to every youth offending team manager.
	Following our White Paper "Care Matters" and the Children and Young Persons Bill receiving Royal Assent, we will be revising guidance to local authorities which will include information about local authority responsibilities for preventing offending by looked after children and, about their responsibilities for establishing the necessary relationships with youth justice professionals so that, when looked after children do offend, plans are put in place to support the child to prevent re-offending.

Children: Databases

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2008,  Official Report, column 482W, on children: databases, whether details of children of hon. Members are to be  (a) excluded from and  (b) shielded on Contact Point; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Children Act 2004 Information Database (England) Regulations 2007 specify that Contact Point will hold basic identifying information on every child and each 'participating young person', ordinarily resident in England.
	Records of some children, whose circumstances may mean that they, or others, are at increased risk of harm (for example, those fleeing domestic violence), may be subject to 'shielding', whereby any details which could give an indication of their whereabouts, will be hidden from users' view. The decision to shield will be taken on a case-by-case basis and will be based on the level of threat posed if their whereabouts were to become known. Such a decision can only be undertaken by a local authority which is under a duty to consider the views of the person to whom the record relates, the views of their parent or carer, and of any schedule 4 or schedule 5 body (as specified by the Children Act 2004 Information Database (England) Regulations 2007), involved with the child or young person.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of employees in his Department  (a) are on a flexible working contract,  (b) are on a job share employment contract and  (c) work from home for more than four hours a week.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In the Department any member of staff can request a change to their working pattern and line managers consider requests in line with the Department's policy and guidance.
	Staff below the senior civil service (96 per cent.) can work to a flexi-time agreement and local records are kept of hours worked.
	15 per cent. of all staff work part-time but information is not held centrally on how many job share and information could be obtained at disproportionate cost.
	There are currently five employees who have a formal home-working contract and work more than four hours a week from home. Over 60 per cent. of employees do have broadband access to the Department's systems through authorised encryption and agree home working arrangements with their line managers. Records of the hours worked each week are held locally and could be aggregated only at disproportionate cost.

Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils were placed in alternative provision in each of the last 10 years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Alternative provision covers all school age pupils attending a school not maintained by an authority for whom the authority is paying full tuition fees, or educated otherwise than in schools and Pupil Referral Units, under arrangements made by the authority.
	In addition pupils are referred to alternative provision under arrangements by schools but we do not collect data on these numbers.
	The information on pupils in Pupil Referral Units and in alternative provision as at January of each year is shown in the following table. Many pupils stay only a short time in Pupil Referral Units or other alternative provision and so the total annual number of pupils who receive some alternative provision is higher, but we do not collect this information.
	
		
			  Number of pupils in alternative provision( 1) , position as at January 1999 to 2008 
			   Number of pupils in pupil referral units  Number of pupils in alternative provision( 2) 
			  England   
			 1999 8,260 27,260 
			 2000 8,480 28,360 
			 2001 9,290 33,600 
			 2002 9,960 31,980 
			 2003 12,010 33,150 
			 2004 13,040 32,630 
			 2005 14,470 30,570 
			 2006 15,240 25,250 
			 2007 15,160 23,850 
			 2008 16,095 20,900 
			 (1) Excludes dually registered pupils. (2) Alternative provision covers all school age pupils attending a school not maintained by an authority for whom the authority is paying full tuition fees, or educated otherwise than in schools and Pupil Referral Units, under arrangements made by the authority.  Note: Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census and Form 8B

Education: Young Offender Institutions

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the education facilities available for young offenders in young offender institutions; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Ministry of Justice are jointly responsible for policy on education for young offenders. Both Departments worked with the Home Office to produce the Youth Crime Action Plan (July 2008), which included considering the issues affecting education for young offenders and developing commitments to bring improvements. The preparation of this strategy included a range of trilateral discussions between Secretaries of State and Ministers, and these discussions will continue as the Action Plan is implemented.

Foster Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what guidance his Department provides to social workers regarding foster carers and smacking;
	(2)  what guidance his Department has issued to social workers and local authorities on foster carers and smacking.

Beverley Hughes: Regulations require that fostering service providers, including local authorities, must take all reasonable steps to ensure that no form of corporal punishment is used on any child placed with a foster parent. Foster carers must enter into a foster care agreement confirming that they will not administer corporal punishment to a child placed with them.
	National minimum standards for fostering services state that fostering service providers should give foster carers clear, written information that corporal punishment is not acceptable and that this includes smacking, slapping, shaking and all other humiliating forms of treatment or punishment.

Health Education: Drugs

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when his Department's review of drug and alcohol education will  (a) start and  (b) be completed; who will carry it out; and what it will cost.

Beverley Hughes: The Department's review of the effectiveness of delivery arrangements for all drugs education (including alcohol) began in January 2008. The review's findings and recommendations and the Government's response were published on 23 October 2008. The report and the response can be found at:
	http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=13032
	The review was conducted by an independent advisory group of experts, whose details are given in the report. Advisory group members gave their time freely, with the only cost for the review being that travel expenses were reimbursed, this came to a total of £3,659.

Local Safeguarding Children Boards: Hearing Impaired

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many local children's safeguarding boards have undertaken a review of their local procedures, policies and training programmes to ensure that the needs of deaf children are recognised and met, as recommended by the Department of Health's 2005 report Mental Health and Deafness: Towards Equity and Access.

Beverley Hughes: Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) coordinate local work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and ensure the effectiveness of that work. This includes ensuring that deaf children are effectively safeguarded and supported. Government have encouraged LSCBs to engage widely within their communities to build a full picture of safeguarding priorities to inform the activity of their member organisations and partners.
	In February 2006 the DCSF issued practice guidance for LSCBs on Safeguarding Disabled Children which specifically addressed the needs of deaf children. The practice guidance is being updated and will be published in spring next year. We have also encouraged those with specific expertise in this area to work with the LSCBs, including the National Deaf Children's Society, the NSPCC, the British Society for Mental Health and Deafness and the UK Council on Deafness.
	In close collaboration with local authority and other partners, the DCSF is also undertaking a stocktake of LSCBs to develop recommendations that will help all LSCBs perform at the level of the best. The stocktake will report in spring 2009.

Nurseries: Admissions

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average occupancy rate of  (a) Sure Start children's centre nurseries,  (b) maintained nurseries and  (c) private, voluntary and independent nurseries was in (i) England, (ii) each region and (iii) each local authority area in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 10 November 2008
	 The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on occupancy rates in child care and early years providers.
	Table 1 shows the national occupancy rates for different types of child care providers from 2005 to 2007. Data are not available for earlier years or for all types of providers in 2005.
	
		
			  Table 1: Occupancy rates for England from 2005 to 2007 
			  Percentage 
			   2005  2006  2007 
			 Full day care 83 85 82 
			 Full day care in children's centres n/a 82 83 
			 Sessional 89 89 87 
			 After school clubs n/a 79 75 
			 Holiday clubs n/a 71 70 
			 Child minders 71 76 71 
			 Nursery schools n/a 93 95 
			 Primary schools with nursery and reception classes n/a 90 89 
			 Primary schools with reception but no nursery classes n/a 85 86 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the regional occupancy rates for different types of child care providers for 2007. Data for earlier years are not available in the format requested.
	
		
			  Table 2: Regional occupancy rates for 2007 
			  Percentage 
			   Full day care  Full day care in children's centres  Sessional  After school  Holiday  Child minders  Nursery schools  Primary schools with nursery and reception classes  Primary schools with reception but no nursery classes 
			 East Midlands 80 77 82 67 65 65 92 87 81 
			 East of England 84 85 86 73 66 72 94 86 83 
			 London 78 82 87 77 70 61 96 93 95 
			 North East(1) (2)81 (2)73 (2)85 (2)71 (2)67 (2)75 96 n/a 79 
			 Yorkshire and Humber (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— 94 n/a 84 
			 North West 83 83 88 72 65 73 91 n/a 82 
			 South East 83 79 88 71 73 69 97 90 87 
			 South West 81 83 85 69 60 75 99 88 81 
			 West Midlands 83 77 84 73 66 73 96 88 82 
			 (1) Data for child care providers are not separately available for the North East and Yorkshire and Humberside regions. (2) Indicates brace.  Note: Data are not available for primary schools with nursery and reception classes in the North East and North West regions as an insufficient number of interviews were achieved in these areas. Data are also not available for primary schools with nursery and reception classes in Yorkshire and Humberside as this region was grouped with the North East and North West to ensure that national figures were representative. 
		
	
	Data on occupancy rates are not available at a local authority level.

Parents: Advisory Services

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many calls there have been to the Parent Know How helpline in each month since it was established; what the cost of the helpline has been; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Parent Know How programme is funding seven third sector organisations to deliver helplines for parents. The funding for these helplines commenced on 1 April 2008. Management data, including the number of calls taken by the helplines, are collected quarterly. In the first quarter (April to June) 34,936 calls were taken, in the second quarter (July to September) 31,399 calls were taken. The third sector organisations are funded by grants to deliver the helpline services. The total cost in 2008-09 is £3.4 million.

Pupil Exclusions: Young Offenders

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of young men in young offender institutions have previously been excluded from school.

Beverley Hughes: This information is not collected centrally. However, a report from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons in 2004 'Juveniles in Custody' stated that 83 per cent. of boys had been excluded from school. The research concentrated on young people under the age of 18 within YOIs.
	Also, the Ministry of Justice has recently published research 'The problems and needs of newly sentenced prisoners: results from a national survey' which surveyed 1,457 newly sentenced prisoners, of which 181 were young offenders aged 18 to 20. 52 per cent. of young offenders participating in the survey said they had been permanently excluded from school.

Pupils: Languages

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families according to the most recent school census, how many pupils in care had a language other than English as their first language.

Beverley Hughes: The most recent census data relates to January 2008. The information requested from this census is shown in the table.
	The census shows 34,390 pupils aged five to 19 attending primary, secondary and special schools who are classed as being in care as at January 2008. Data published by the Department as SFR 23/2008: Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2008, shows 47,600 children aged between five and 19 as being looked after as at 31 March 2008. The school census does not cover all looked after children; information is not collected for pupils in alternative provision, including pupil referral units, FE colleges, voluntary provision and those not in education or training. These differences in coverage will explain the different counts to an extent, but it is possible that the school census undercounts the number of looked after children in primary, secondary and special schools.
	
		
			  Primary, secondary and special schools( 1,2,3) — n umber and percentage of pupils classified as being in care by their first language( 4) : England as at January 2008 
			   Pupils whose first language is classified as: 
			   English  Other than English  Unclassified 
			   Number of pupils  Percentage  Number of pupils  Percentage  Number of pupils  Percentage 
			 Pupils in care(5) 31,690 92.2 2,560 7.4 140 0.4 
			 All pupils(6) 5,795,430 87.2 824,490 12.4 23,020 0.3 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes CTCs and academies. (3) Includes both maintained and non-maintained special schools, excludes general hospital schools. (4) Pupils of compulsory school age and over were classified by first language. (5) The number of pupils in care collected via the school census is known to be under-reported. (6 )Headcount of pupils, including dual registrations, aged between five and 19 as at 31 August 2007.  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  School Census

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average funding per primary school pupil was in  (a) England and  (b) Somerset in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) 2007-08; and what real term change this represented.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: holding answer 10 November 2008
	 The per pupil revenue funding figures for primary schools pupils and for all funded pupils for England and Somerset local authority in 1997-98 and 2005-06 are as follows. Figures for 1996-97 are not available on a comparison basis. These figures are in real terms:
	
		
			England  Somerset 
			 Primary pupils (3-10 years) 1997-98 2,615 2,469 
			  2005-06 3,999 3,672 
			  Percentage increase from 1997-98 to 2005-06 52.9 48.7 
			 
			 All pupils (3-19 years) 1997-98 3,185 2,974 
			  2005-06 4,485 4,100 
			  Percentage increase from 1997-98 to 2005-06 40.8 37.9 
		
	
	The revenue per pupil figures shown in the following table are taken from the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) which was introduced in April 2006. They are not comparable with those for the years 1997-98 to 2005-06 because the introduction of the DSG in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded.
	The 1997-98 to 2005-06 figures are based on Education Formula Spending (EFS) which formed the education part of the Local Government Finance Settlement, plus various grants. This was an assessment of what local authorities needed to fund education rather than what they spent. The DSG is based largely on an authority's previous spending. In addition, the DSG has a different coverage to EFS. EFS comprised a schools block and an LEA block (to cover LEA central functions) whereas DSG only covers the school block. LEA block items are still funded through DCLG's Local Government Finance Settlement but education items cannot be separately identified. Consequently, there is a break in the Department's time series as the two sets of data are not comparable.
	To provide a comparison for 2006-07 DSG, the Department have isolated the schools block equivalent funding in 2005-06; as described above this does not represent the totality of 'education' funding in that year. The per pupil revenue funding figures for years 2005-06 to 2008-09 for England and Somerset local authority are provided in the following table. As the DSG is a mechanism for distributing funding, a split between primary and secondary schools is not available. The following figures are for all funded pupils aged 3-19 and are in real terms:
	
		
			England  Somerset 
			 All pupils (3-19 years) 2005-06 DSG baseline plus grants 4,233 3,890 
			  2008-09 DSG plus grants 4,695 4,221 
			  Percentage increase from 2005-06 to 2008-09 10.9 8.5 
			  Note: Price Base: Real terms at 2007-08 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 30 September 2008.

Schools: Choice Advisers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many choice advisers are employed by each local authority; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The following table shows the number of Choice Advisers in each local authority as at 1 September 2008, based on information provided voluntarily by local authorities to CAS and QAN. The table shows the total number of advisers employed in each local authority, not full-time equivalents.
	Local authorities have the flexibility to make Choice Advice available in the way which best meets local needs. Some may employ only one Choice Adviser while others may find they need more than one. Similarly, some may employ full-time Choice Advisers while others may employ Choice Advisers on a seasonal basis.
	
		
			   Number of Choice Advisers 
			 Barking and Dagenham 1 
			 Barnet 2 
			 Barnsley 1 
			 Bath and NE Somerset 1 
			 Bedfordshire 1 
			 Bexley 1 
			 Birmingham 4 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 1 
			 Blackpool 1 
			 Bolton 1 
			 Bournemouth 3 
			 Bradford 1 
			 Brent 8 
			 Brighton and Hove 1 
			 Bristol 1 
			 Bromley 3 
			 Buckinghamshire 2 
			 Bury 1 
			 Calderdale 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 
			 Camden 2 
			 Cheshire 4 
			 City Of London 1 
			 Cornwall 8 
			 Coventry 1 
			 Croydon 1 
			 Cumbria 1 
			 Darlington 1 
			 Derby City 3 
			 Derbyshire 3 
			 Devon 6 
			 Doncaster 2 
			 Dorset 2 
			 Dudley  
			 Durham  
			 Ealing  
			 East Riding of Yorkshire  
			 East Sussex 6 
			 Enfield  
			 Gateshead  
			 Gloucestershire  
			 Greenwich  
			 Hackney  
			 Halton  
			 Hammersmith and Fulham  
			 Hampshire  
			 Haringey  
			 Harrow 3 
			 Hartlepool  
			 Havering  
			 Herefordshire 3 
			 Hillingdon  
			 Isle of Wight  
			 Islington 2 
			 Kensington and Chelsea  
			 Kent 3 
			 Kingston upon Hull  
			 Kingston upon Thames 1 
			 Kirklees 3 
			 Knowsley 1 
			 Lambeth 1 
			 Lancashire 2 
			 Leeds 2 
			 Leicestershire 2 
			 Lewisham 2 
			 Lincolnshire 2 
			 Liverpool 1 
			 Luton 1 
			 Manchester 3 
			 Medway 1 
			 Merton 1 
			 Middlesbrough 1 
			 Milton Keynes 1 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 1 
			 Newham 1 
			 Norfolk 2 
			 North East Lincolnshire 1 
			 North Lincolnshire 1 
			 North Somerset 3 
			 North Tyneside 1 
			 North Yorkshire 2 
			 Northamptonshire 2 
			 Northumberland 1 
			 Nottingham City 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 16 
			 Oldham 1 
			 Oxfordshire 2 
			 Peterborough 1 
			 Plymouth 2 
			 Poole 2 
			 Reading 1 
			 Redbridge 2 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 1 
			 Richmond upon Thames 7 
			 Rochdale 1 
			 Rotherham 2 
			 Rutland 1 
			 Salford 1 
			 Sandwell 1 
			 Sefton 1 
			 Sheffield 2 
			 Shropshire 2 
			 Slough 1 
			 Solihull 2 
			 Somerset 1 
			 South Gloucestershire 3 
			 Southend 1 
			 Southwark 1 
			 St Helens 2 
			 Staffordshire 1 
			 Stockport 1 
			 Stockton on Tees 1 
			 Stoke on Trent 1 
			 Suffolk 3 
			 Sunderland 1 
			 Surrey 2 
			 Sutton 2 
			 Swindon 1 
			 Tameside 1 
			 Telford and Wrekin 1 
			 Thurrock 1 
			 Torbay 1 
			 Tower Hamlets 4 
			 Trafford 5 
			 Wakefield 1 
			 Wandsworth 1 
			 Warrington 1 
			 Warwickshire 1 
			 West Berkshire 4 
			 West Sussex 1 
			 Westminster 1 
			 Wigan 1 
			 Wiltshire 2 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 1 
			 Wirral 2 
			 Wokingham 1 
			 Wolverhampton 1 
			 Worcestershire 1 
			 York 1

Special Educational Needs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his Department's policy is on informing parents of children with complex educational and specialist health needs of public and charitable provision that is available for such children nationally and locally.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Under section 12 of the Childcare Act 2006 local authorities (LAs) are required to deliver information, advice and guidance on child care and other local services for parents of children and young people up to age 20.
	The information which must be prescribed by local authorities has been prescribed in the Childcare Act 2006 (Provision of Information to Parents) (England) Regulations 2007 ("the regulations"). These regulations require LAs to provide information about whether particular child care is suitable for disabled children, and about services, facilities and publication which may be of particular benefit to disabled children, young people or their parents.
	Nationally, the Early Support Programme is the Government's recommended family-centred approach for delivering integrated services for young disabled children, which includes information resources for parents on how to work with local professionals to understand and secure the support their child needs. In addition, the Department funds Contact-a-Family directly and through the Parent Know How programme to provide information to parents of disabled children, including on the state and charitable provision available.

Specialised Diplomas: Business

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the procedures are for ensuring compliance with child protection requirements within businesses applying to participate in joint ventures offering diploma courses.

Beverley Hughes: Some staff of businesses which deliver parts of diploma courses, including work experience placements, may be required by schools or colleges attended by the learners concerned, or by education business brokers on their behalf, to have Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks.
	CRB checks happen in certain circumstances where it is judged by those responsible for organising the learning or placement that a young person might be at risk of experiencing inappropriate behaviours, for example where they are vulnerable, or are working with someone on a one-to-one basis or over an extended period of time. Guidance for schools, colleges and businesses can be found in 'Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education'.

Specialised Diplomas: Vetting

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and  (b) enhanced CRB checks which will be required on the members of staff of businesses offering part of a 14 to 19 diploma.

Beverley Hughes: CRB and Enhanced CRB checks required by members of staff of businesses offering part of a 14 to 19 diploma are expected to be small in number since the majority of diploma principal learning and additional specialist learning will take place in schools, colleges and training providers. Teachers, lecturers and trainers in these settings will have already been CRB checked.

Teachers: Training

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his Department's targets for the number of people entering initial teacher training for each subject by  (a) undergraduate,  (b) post-graduate certificate of education and  (c) other graduate teacher training routes were in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the targets set for recruitment to mainstream Initial Teacher Training (ITT) for primary courses and secondary courses by subject for each academic year between 2004/05 and 2008/09. The Department does not set targets for each route into ITT.
	Only the 2008/09 targets include Employment Based Routes Initial Teacher Training (EBITT) courses. Prior to 2008/09 the Department did not set targets for EBITT, although recruitment data for EBITT courses was still taken into account in projecting the future required numbers of recruits and successful completers on each type of programme and by subject to assist in determining the targets required for mainstream ITT targets.
	
		
			  Initial teacher training places( 1) ,  academic years: 2004/05 to 2008/09 ,  coverage: England 
			   2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08  2008/09 
			 Primary 16,300 15,800 15,300 14,800 17,460 
			   
			 Secondary(1) 19,500 18,500 17,500 16,500 19,385 
			  O f which:  
			 Art 880 800 700 600 670 
			 Citizenship 250 240 230 220 265 
			 Economics, Social Sciences, Classics. Other subjects 300 290 240 185 325 
			 English (including Drama) 2,350 2,200 2,040 1,920 2,670 
			 Geography 935 925 850 770 770 
			 History 910 810 700 600 685 
			 Mathematics 2,350 2,350 2,350 2,350 2,735 
			 Modern foreign languages 2,050 1,900 1,790 1,670 1,670 
			 Music 725 690 640 600 690 
			 Physical Education 1,500 1,450 1,310 1,180 1,570 
			 Religious Education 730 730 695 665 740 
			 Science 3,225 3,225 3,225 3,225 3,615 
			 Technology, of which: 2,895 2,890 2,730 2,515 2,980 
			 Business Studies 760 730 680 600 590 
			 Design and Technology 1,085 1,060 1,010 930 1,195 
			 Information and communications technology 1,050 1,100 1,040 985 1,195 
			 Vocational subjects(2) 400 — — — — 
			 Margin of flexibility/secondary reserve(3) — — — — — 
			   
			 Primary and secondary 35,800 34,300 32,800 31,300 36,845 
			 (1) Targets prior to 2008/09 include School Centred ITT but excludes Employment Based Routes ITT (EBITT). Targets for 2008/08 onwards include EBITT, but exclude Teach First. (2) Places for vocational subjects in 2006/07 are included with the allocation for related academic subject: Science includes places for applied science, design and technology includes both manufacturing and engineering, ICT includes applied ICT, business studies includes applied business, geography includes leisure and tourism, art includes applied art and other subjects includes health and social care and subjects relating to the new diploma subjects. In 2004/05 places for vocational subjects were shown separately. In 2003/04 the margin of flexibility included places for a vocational subjects pilot. (3) The margin of flexibility/secondary reserve constituted places that the TDA could allocate to any secondary subject, to support providers whose baselines would otherwise be below economic levels: to ensure the appropriate denominational balance; and to help providers with a high proportion of places in shortage subjects and who therefore had particular uncertainty of income.  Source: OGSF 
		
	
	These data were published as part of the Statistical First Release: School Workforce in England (29/2007) and is available at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000743/index.shtml

Young Offenders: Education

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what educational provision is in force for young people under 18 years remanded in custody at young offender institutions prior to court disposal.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 10 November 2008
	Education, training and personal development activities for all young people in custody are delivered as part of a package of placement services funded by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) and prescribed by a joint YJB/DCSF/MOJ/Learning and Skills Council specification "The Offender Learning Journey for Juveniles". All young people in custody should receive full-time education and personal development activities, which are based on the national curriculum but with flexibilities to take account of prior learning and other needs such as substance misuse, and behaviour management needs etc which young people may have. The YJB sets requirements for education in Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) and require that 90 per cent. of young people receive 25 hours or more education, training and personal development activity per week.

Young People: Antisocial Behaviour

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what criteria his Department will use to assess the effectiveness of intensive intervention projects.

Beverley Hughes: The primary objective of intensive intervention projects is to improve outcomes for some of the most vulnerable and challenging young people in society—and to improve outcomes for the communities in which they live. We specifically expect the projects to:
	Significantly reduce antisocial behaviour;
	Help reduce youth crime;
	Improve participation in education and training;
	Tackle substance misuse;
	Reduce youth homelessness.
	Projects are expected to take referrals from across the whole local authority area. The criteria for referral to the project should draw on the local assessment of young people's needs which underpins targeted youth support reforms. The target group should include those young people identified as being:
	Involved in crime or antisocial behaviour;
	Involved in, or at risk, of substance abuse;
	Persistent absentees or excluded from school or not in employment education or training (NEET);
	Presenting as homeless or at risk of homelessness.
	As a guide we would expect young people engaged with the project to also experience a range of the risk factors including:
	At risk of teenage pregnancy;
	Young teenage parents;
	Poor family support and support networks;
	Family or friend involvement in gangs or with criminal convictions;
	Poor aspirations/poor emotional social or coping skills;
	Learning difficulties and disabilities;
	Children of parents with substance misuse problems;
	Low educational attainment/attendance;
	Living in a deprived neighbourhood and/or poverty.
	An independent national evaluation of the projects will be conducted.
	Part of this national evaluation is likely to entail collection of data on young people who are not receiving intervention from intensive intervention projects to act as a control group for the research.
	In addition the Youth Task Force will undertake regular monitoring. This will include support offered, enforcement action taken and the outcomes for young people. It will involve a quarterly return to YTF of aggregate data about young people. Outcome monitoring will be based on the Youth PSA indicators but will also encompass measures of criminal and antisocial behaviour and homelessness.

Young People: Drugs

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when his Department's review of local area substance misuse treatment plans for young people  (a) began and  (b) will be completed; who is carrying out the review; and what the cost of the review will be.

Beverley Hughes: The Government are committed to reducing substance misuse related harm among young people, including harm arising from the misuse of drugs, alcohol and volatile substances. Specialist treatment for those young people who develop substance misuse problems is a vital part of our approach, and we are ensuring that effective treatment is available in all areas of England for under 18s who are in need . This is supported by £24.7 million of Government funding in 2008-09. Over 21,000 young people benefited from this help in 2007-08.
	The Department has agreed a memorandum of understanding with the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) to continue to improve the quality and accessibility of specialist treatment for under 18s. The process for developing local area substance misuse treatment plans for young people for 2009-10 began in summer 2008, with the NTA issuing guidance to all areas. All formalised treatment plans will have been reviewed and agreed with local areas by March 2009 and then published on the NTA's website in June 2009. In addition, all areas' treatment systems for young people are reviewed by the NTA, along with the regional Government office and other partners, on a six monthly basis. The results of this review will be reported back to my Department in March 2009. This work is part of the NTA's core role as detailed in their business plan and is therefore funded by NTA.

Young People: Unemployment

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many young people were not in education, employment or training in Enfield North constituency  (a) in 1997 and  (b) at the latest date for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: The Department publishes annual estimates of the number of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET) in England. These estimates cannot be disaggregated to local authority or constituency level.
	However, we can use information collected by the Connexions Service to estimate the number and proportion of young people NEET at local authority level. The 2007 estimate for the London borough of Enfield is that 670 16 to 18-year-olds were NEET (7.2 per cent. of the 16 to 18-year-old population). The first local authority level data were made available in 2005, when an estimated 840 16 to 18-year-olds were NEET (8.3 per cent. of the 16 to 18-year-old population). Constituency level data are not available.

TREASURY

Airwave Service

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what organisations for which his Department is responsible  (a) use and  (b) are planning to use Airwave handsets.

Angela Eagle: The Treasury does not use Airwave handsets and has no plans to use them in the future.

Bank Services

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date  (a) his Department,  (b) the Bank of England and  (c) the Financial Services Authority first (a) was informed of and (b) reported on the financial vulnerability of Icelandic banking institutions.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 17 October 2008
	 The FSA intensified its supervision of all retail deposit-taking by Icelandic banks (including through increased contact with firms, more frequent visits and enhanced reporting requirements) from the beginning of 2008. As the economic situation deteriorated during the year and particularly since September the FSA has worked increasingly intensively with the banks concerned.
	As the memorandum of understanding between HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the FSA sets out, the FSA informs the Bank of England and HM Treasury of its concerns on a regular basis.

Betting: Regulation

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received in support of moving regulation of spread betting from the Financial Services Authority to the Gambling Commission.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 10 November 2008
	Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Borrowing: Local Authorities

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications by local authorities to borrow from the Public Works Loan Board have been rejected in the last three years; and for what reasons in each case.

Angela Eagle: The Public Works Loan Board does not reject loan applications made within its published lending terms.

Cheques

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to expedite the administration of cheques on private accounts in the banks recapitalised from public funds.

Ian Pearson: As part of their investment, the Government have agreed a range of commitments with banks accessing the recapitalisation scheme.
	Decisions on the terms of specific products are commercial decisions for the individual institutions.

Council Tax: Wales

Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what balancing adjustment was applied to the Welsh Assembly Government's departmental expenditure limits in relation to council tax benefit for each year since 1999.

Yvette Cooper: The following adjustments have been made to the Welsh Assembly Government departmental expenditure limit since 1999 in respect of council tax benefit adjustments:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2001-02 -560,000 
			 2003-04 +1,957,000 
			 2006-07 +16,000,000 
		
	
	The 2006-07 adjustment also took account of adjustments pertaining to 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of employees in his Department  (a) are on a flexible working contract,  (b) are on a job share employment contract and  (c) work from home for more than four hours per week.

Angela Eagle: HM Treasury employs 5 per cent. of staff on part-time contracts. Some of these people are currently in job share arrangements. HM Treasury also offers other flexible working arrangements such as compressed hours. These are agreed directly between managers and staff in line and are therefore not recorded centrally. We do not keep central records of those who work from home.

EU External Trade: Israel

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 28 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 883-4W, on EU external trade: Israel, if he will list the  (a) settlements involved,  (b) import/export company involved and  (c) UK retailer to whom the consignments were sent in each case; and whether full import duty was paid on those consignments.

Stephen Timms: The identities of the settlements and UK retailers involved cannot be disclosed for reasons of commercial confidentiality. HMRC does publish the names and addresses of importers of non-EU goods against eight digit commodity codes except where to do so might compromise the business activities of the companies or individuals involved.
	Requests for importers' details specifying the eight digit commodity code or codes should be sent to:
	HMRC
	Trade Statistics,
	3(rd) Floor Central,
	Alexander House,
	21 Victoria Avenue,
	Southend on Sea,
	Essex, SS99 1AA.

Excise Duties: Motor Vehicles

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of new vehicles which will be purchased and registered in each of the new vehicle excise duty bands in  (a) 2010-11,  (b) 2011-12,  (c) 2012-13 and  (d) 2014-15;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of vehicles which will be in each of the new vehicle excise duty bands that were  (a) purchased prior to 2001,  (b) purchased prior to 2008-09 and  (c) purchased after 2008-09 in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2014-15.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 22 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1950-51W and 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 724W. Pre-2001 cars are not affected by the structural reforms to carbon dioxide based emissions rates and bandings. They will remain in two bands according to engine size. Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is administered on vehicle registration rather than the time of purchase.

Excise Duties: Motor Vehicles

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will link vehicle excise duty for motorcycles to engine emissions on a similar basis as for cars.

Angela Eagle: No, carbon dioxide based Vehicle Excise Duty for cars rests on data produced through the European-wide system of vehicle type approval. This system does not produce carbon dioxide data for motorcycles.

Government Departments: Procurement

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the approved suppliers that are in use by all Government Departments under the terms set out in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Angela Eagle: An A-Z list of all suppliers with an agreement with OGCbuying.solutions is available at:
	http://online.ogcbuyingsolutions.gov.uk/suppliers/index.html
	Information relating to suppliers used by other Government Departments is not held centrally.

Government Departments: Procurement

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer under what circumstances procurement takes place by Government Departments from bodies other than those approved within the latest Catalist Framework.

Angela Eagle: Government Departments are responsible for their own purchasing decisions which will be based on value for money and usually achieved through competition.
	They are encouraged to use existing collaborative procurement deals, where they provide value for money, such as those offered by the Catalist Framework.

Government Departments: Property

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which  (a) Government departments,  (b) agencies and  (c) non-departmental public bodies have property which comprises part of the Government's civil estate.

Angela Eagle: The Government Departments, which include their agencies and non-departmental public bodies, are as follows:
	Attorney-General's Office
	British Council
	Cabinet Office
	Central Office of Information
	Charity Commission
	Communities and Local Government
	Crown Prosecution Service
	Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
	Department for Children, Schools and Families
	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
	Department for International Development
	Department for Transport
	Department for Work and Pensions
	Department of Health
	Export Credit Guarantee Department
	Food Standards Agency
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	Forestry Commission
	Government Actuary's Department
	Health and Safety Executive
	HM Courts Service
	HM Revenue and Customs
	HM Treasury
	Home Office
	Land Registry
	Ministry of Defence
	Ministry of Justice
	National Probation Directorate
	Office for National Statistics
	Office of Fair Trading
	Office of Gas and Electrical Markets
	Office of Rail Regulation
	Office of Water Services
	Royal Mint
	Serious Fraud Office
	Serious Organised Crime Agency
	The National Archives
	Treasury Solicitor

Imports: Israel

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 28 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 885-6W, on imports: Israel, how many of the 26 consignments examined between the end of July and the end of September 2008 were identified as originating in settlements; which settlements were involved; which import/export companies were involved; and for which UK retailer they were intended.

Stephen Timms: Of the 26 consignments examined between the end of July and end of September 2008 one consignment was identified as originating in a settlement—the Jordan Valley. The import/export company and the UK retailer cannot be named for reasons of commercial confidentiality.

Imports: Israel

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many consignments of Ahava skin care products have been imported into the UK in each of the last three years; and how many of these consignments were manufactured in settlements in the Occupied Territories.

Stephen Timms: Commercial confidentiality makes it inappropriate to provide this information for an individual supplier.

Imports: Israel

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 28 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 885-86W, on imports: Israel, how many of the consignments were labelled  (a) West Bank,  (b) Jordan Valley and  (c) Israel; and how many were identified as originating in an Israeli settlement.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available. However, the number of consignments identified as originating in an Israeli settlement in the last three years were as follows:
	
		
			  1 February to 31 January each year  Number 
			 2005-06 128 
			 2006-07 127 
			 2007-08 214

Imports: Israel

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answers of 28 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 885-86W and 886W, on imports: Occupied Territories and imports: Israel, how many of the consignments entering the UK in each of the last three years from  (a) Israel and  (b) the Occupied Palestinian Territories originated in Israeli settlements; and how many were labelled as originating in settlements.

Stephen Timms: No information is available on how many of the consignments entering the UK from Israel and the Occupied Territories in each of the last three years originated in Israeli settlements, or on the number that were labelled as originating in settlements. Records are available only on imports that are identified as incorrectly claiming Israeli origin.

Maritime and Aviation Intelligence Team

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 19 March 2007,  Official Report, column 706W, on customs: manpower, what assessment he has now made of the effect on  (a) detection rates and  (b) other measures in relation to illegal imports of persons and goods of the disbanding of the Maritime and Aviation Intelligence Team.

Stephen Timms: The former Paymaster General's earlier answer still applies in respect of the re-organisation of the former Maritime and Aviation Intelligence Teams (MAIT). The intelligence activity is driven by national hubs of expertise together with target and selection teams, which link into operational teams, resulting in detection activity across the whole of the UK. In addition the Government have created the United Kingdom Border Agency, which is now responsible for all cross border matters including those that were formally the responsibility of MAIT; putting these dual responsibilities under one frontier facing Law Enforcement Agency. HM Revenue and Customs is working closely with the shadow UKBA in building its Border focused intelligence capability.

Public Buildings: Empty Property

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) of 15 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2155W, on public buildings: empty property, what the  (a) address,  (b) occupying organisation and  (c) floor area of each part of the Government civil estate that is currently occupied.

Angela Eagle: The civil estate is defined as:
	"the workspace, offices and other property (land and buildings) used to deliver departments' activities that is owned, leased, or occupied by a government body including non-ministerial departments, agencies, executive NDPBs and Special Health Authorities in Great Britain. It does not include the operational NHS Estate, the Prisons Operational Estate, the Foreign Office Overseas Estate, the Defra Rural Estate, the privatised rail entities, public corporations or the defence estate (except for certain civil elements)."
	The information requested has been placed in the Libraries using the aforementioned definition and applies only to occupations of English Departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies. It excludes information on all but the headquarters properties occupied by the security services.

Public Buildings: Empty Property

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) of 15 September 2008,  Official Report, columns 2155W, on public buildings: empty property, if he will publish the latest list of actual vacant space by  (a) floor area,  (b) occupying organisation and  (c) location which was used to calculate the 1.43 per cent. figure.

Angela Eagle: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Smuggling: Tobacco

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment HM Revenue and Customs has made of the correlation between levels of use of hand-rolling tobacco in the UK and the amount of hand-rolling tobacco illegally smuggled into the UK.

Angela Eagle: HMRC has made no assessment of the correlation between levels of use of hand-rolling tobacco in the UK and the amount of hand-rolling tobacco illegally smuggled into the UK.
	Estimates for the total amount of hand-rolling tobacco used in the UK and the amount of hand-rolling tobacco illicitly smuggled into the UK are estimated separately for the years 2001-02 to 2005-06 and are reported in "Measuring Indirect Tax Losses—2007" published by HMRC in October 2007, which is available in the House of Commons Library.

Tax Allowances: Biofuels

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate has been made of the number of small processors who take advantage of the under 2,500 litres per annum personal use of biodiesel duty exemption.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 10 November 2008
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimate that there are between 1,000 and 1,250 small biofuel producers below the 2,500 litre per annum registration threshold.

Tax Allowances: Biofuels

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to ensure that the rules relating to the 2,500 litres per annum personal use biodiesel duty exemption are being complied with.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 10 November 2008
	HMRC ensures that the rules relating to the 2,500 litres per annum biofuel duty threshold are complied with through education, monitoring and targeted assurance activity.
	Guidance on the exemption and its limits has been published and publicised on the HMRC website. This publicity has been augmented through attendance at biofuel trade fairs and contributions to trade publications where the regulations restricting the exemption to personal use were explained.
	HMRC monitors the position, through administration and assurance activities, of producers operating above and below the limits. Since the threshold was introduced, in July 2007, work has been done centrally and locally to test compliance with the rules. Additionally, through their monitoring of telephone and written enquiries about the threshold, HMRC are satisfied that the rules are generally understood and complied with.

VAT: Planning Permission

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether value added tax must be charged on certificates of lawfulness applications issued by local planning authorities to householders.

Stephen Timms: Fees charged by local authorities for issuing certificates of lawfulness are outside the scope of VAT.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Alcoholic Drinks: Licensing

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many  (a) licences and  (b) certificates were in force authorising the sale of alcohol in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The first DCMS Statistical Bulletin on Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment, under the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003, was published on 8 November 2007. Based on returns from around 70 per cent. of local councils, this showed that, between April 2006 and March 2007, there were 111,567 premises licences authorising the sale or supply of alcohol (23,218 on-sale only; 32,917 off-sales only; and 55,432 with both on and off sales of alcohol). There were 12,137 club premises certificates authorising the sale or supply of alcohol (4,870 on-sale only; and 7,267 with both on and off sales of alcohol). The April 2007 to March 2008 Bulletin shows that, for this period (based on returns from around 85 per cent. of licensing authorities) there were 140,845 premises licences authorising the sale or supply of alcohol (29,663 on-sale only; 40,606 off-sales only; and 69,189 with both on and off sales of alcohol; 1,387 had permissions to sell alcohol but did not specify in what capacity). There were 14,515 club premises certificates authorising the sale or supply of alcohol (6,654 on-sale only; and 7,758 with both on and off sales of alcohol; 103 had permissions to sell alcohol but did not specify in what capacity).

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many alcohol licences in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire have been revoked on the grounds of sale of alcohol to children since the implementation of the Licensing Act 2003.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Statistical bulletins on licences to sell alcohol include the number of licences revoked, but do not indicate the reason why. Licences may be revoked on review for one or more reasons relating to the four licensing objectives, including sales of alcohol to children.
	The first DCMS Statistical Bulletin on Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment, under the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003, was published on 8 November 2007. This shows that, between April 2006 and March 2007, there were no completed reviews in the Dacorum licensing authority area (which covers Hemel Hempstead) and consequently no revocations. For the county of Hertfordshire as a whole, there were 13 completed reviews which resulted in 10 premises licences or club premises certificates having other conditions added or modified, two premises licences or club premises certificates being suspended and one premises licences revoked or club premises certificate withdrawn.
	The second statistical bulletin, published on 30 October 2008 and covering the period between April 2007 and March 2008, shows that there were three completed reviews in the Dacorum licensing authority area which resulted in added or modified conditions to the premises licence or club premises certificates. For Hertfordshire as a whole there were 19 completed reviews for this period which resulted in two premises licenses or club premises certificates being suspended and two premises licences being revoked or club premises certificates being withdrawn.
	Since 6 April 2007, a premises licence can be suspended by a court under Section 147B(1) of the Licensing Act 2003 (as amended by the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006) for the sale or supply of alcohol, following an offence of persistently selling to underage children. No premises licenses or club premises certificates have been suspended on these grounds in Hertfordshire county for the most recent statistical bulletin period.

BBC: Newspaper Press

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the viability of regional newspapers and their websites of the BBC Trust's Local Video proposals; and what assessment has been made of the competition position of the BBC's online services in respect of the independent media.

Andy Burnham: These are matters for the BBC Trust. As part of the public value test considering the local video proposal, Ofcom is conducting a market impact assessment for the trust.

BBC: Public Service Broadcasting

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had on the BBC's compliance with its public service broadcasting obligations in the last seven days.

Andy Burnham: On 29 October, Sir Michael Lyons telephoned to brief me on the BBC Trust's response to the editorial breaches in the "Russell Brand Show". On 5 November, I had a scheduled meeting with Mark Thompson, in which we discussed the same issue.

British Broadcasting Corporation: Pay

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the BBC Trust on its policy on levels of remuneration for BBC senior executives.

Andy Burnham: None.

Casinos: Licensing

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by what procedures local authorities may license new casinos in their areas other than the 16 small and large casinos catered for in his Department's recently-sponsored legislation.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 6 November 2008
	Under the 1968 Gaming Act, casinos could be established in 53 permitted areas in England, Wales and Scotland, provided that the Gambling Commission had issued a valid certificate of consent and local licensing justices had approved a casino licence application for the premises.
	The final date for applications to the Gambling Commission for a certificate of consent was 28 April 2006. Therefore no new certificates of consent and no related new casino licences can be issued.
	There are six potential applications for casino licences (including one card club) under the 1968 Gaming Act that have not yet been heard by local licensing justices. Existing 1968 Gaming Act casinos may also apply to move to substitute premises within the same permitted area. Finally, there are 16 casino licence applications where an appeal has been lodged, or is being considered, against a decision by local licensing justices not to grant a casino licence.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of employees in his Department  (a) are on a flexible working contract,  (b) are on a job share employment contract and  (c) work from home for more than four hours a week.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Staff in DCMS are actively encouraged to work alternative working patterns, including flexible working hours, job-sharing and working from home. These are mainly arranged at local line management level and the Department does not hold comprehensive data centrally about the percentages of staff involved. DCMS are in the process of installing a new human resources information system, which when operational will record this information.

Departmental ICT

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many  (a) memory sticks,  (b) laptop computers,  (c) desktop computers,  (d) hard drives and  (e) mobile telephones were (i) lost by and (ii) stolen from his Department in each year since its establishment.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has lost or had stolen the following items since 1998. The Department does not hold records for 1997.
	
		
			Memory sticks  Laptops  Mobile phones 
			 1998 Lost — 4 — 
			  
			 1999 Lost — — 1 
			 2000 Lost — 1 — 
			  
			 2001 Lost — — 2 
			  Stolen — 2 — 
			  
			 2002 Stolen — 1 — 
			  
			 2003 Lost — — 1 
			  
			 2004 Lost — — 1 
			  
			 2005 Lost 1 — — 
			  Stolen — — 2 
			  
			 2006 None — — — 
			  
			 2007 Lost 2 — 4 
			  Stolen — — 1 
			  
			 2008 Lost 1 — 2 
			  Stolen — — 1 
			 Total  4 8 15 
		
	
	No desktop computers or hard drives have been lost or stolen.

Departmental Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many permanent staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies are classified as (i) staff without posts and (ii) part of a people action team.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and its agency the Royal Parks, there are no permanent staff who are (i) classified as staff without posts and (ii) part of a people action team.

Design: Apprentices

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to increase the uptake of apprenticeships in the design sector.

Barbara Follett: In our strategy document, "Creative Britain: New Talents for a New Economy", we commit to encouraging employers to establish up to 5,000 apprenticeships in the creative industries by 2013. This includes employers in the design sector. Representatives from both Creative and Cultural Skills and the Design Council will sit on our official-level Apprenticeship Working Group. This will look at how to increase the number of apprenticeships in existing frameworks, whether there is demand for new frameworks and whether it is possible to convert existing employer-led training schemes into Government-supported apprenticeships.

Digital Broadcasting

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on advertising the digital switchover.

Andy Burnham: The public information campaign for digital TV switchover is being handled by Digital UK, an independent, not-for-profit organisation, established by the broadcasting industry to lead the switchover programme.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael) on 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 324W.

Remembrance Day

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on Remembrance Day in each of the last 10 years.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has been responsible for co-ordinating arrangements for the national Remembrance Sunday ceremony since 2005. The costs of preparing for the day and the ceremony itself are met by a number of Departments and organisations. DCMS is responsible for funding the provision of some of the infrastructure of the day, and the amount spent by the Department each year is set out in the table.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005 86,682.16 
			 2006 89,974.11 
			 2007 88,497.03

Sports: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans his Department has to fund elite athletes with a learning disability who are ineligible to receive funding from the National Lottery Sports Fund from other sources; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 27 October 2008
	 UK Sport is the Government body that funds elite athletes. Its funding is primarily focused on athletes eligible to compete at the Olympics and Paralympics. Funding is not currently provided to elite athletes with a learning disability as they not eligible for the Paralympics. Should athletes with a learning disability be re-introduced to Paralympic competition the provision of funding will be considered by UK Sport.

Sports: Finance

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of mechanisms in place for the funding of the development of elite athletes.

Andy Burnham: UK Sport have developed an investment strategy, which targets funding primarily at those sports and athletes likely to win medals. Additionally, UK Sport's Mission 2012 mechanism is in place to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of that strategy and the investment made in each Olympic and Paralympic sport. The Minister for Sport and his officials regularly meet with UK Sport to review progress.

Sports: Hemel Hempstead

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding his Department has provided for  (a) amateur sports clubs and  (b) sport in schools in Hemel Hempstead since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department does not provide any direct funding of grassroots sport; funding is channelled through Sport England. Sport England have advised that they do not hold specific information about grants benefiting amateur sports clubs and sport in schools in Hemel Hempstead and the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, Sport England can identify the specific projects they have supported in Hemel Hempstead and Dacorum local authority. The total value of these awards is £6,000,764 (£5,975,104 Lottery funding and £25,660 Exchequer funding).
	Of this total, some awards made specifically to amateur sports clubs and sport in schools. The value of these awards is £446,864 to £98,716 to amateur sports clubs and £348,148 to schools.
	While only a limited number of awards have been identified as being made specifically to amateur sports clubs or schools sports projects, amateur sports clubs and school sport projects would have benefited significantly from other grants within the overall figures provided.

Swimming: Grants

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what forecast he has made of the take-up by local authorities of grants for free swimming for people aged  (a) over 60 years and  (b) under 16 years.

Andy Burnham: The closing date for local authorities to confirm their participation in all elements of the Free Swimming Programme has now passed. We are collating responses and I will be issuing a statement shortly.

Television Companies: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent in grants for each of the terrestrial television stations in each of the last 10 years.

Andy Burnham: This Department has only provided grants to S4C in the last 10 years. The following figures are the audited outturn figures.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1998-99 75,127 
			 1999-2000 75,127 
			 2000-01 75,127 
			 2001-02 76,817 
			 2002-03 80,217 
			 2003-04 85,217 
			 2004-05 92,217 
			 2005-06 92,217 
			 2006-07 92,217 
			 2007-08 92,817

Television: Licensing

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people were prosecuted in each of the last five years for failing to purchase a television licence.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 6 November 2008
	The following data have been provided by the Ministry of Justice and derived from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. Data are given on the basis that these offences were the principal offence for which the persons were dealt with. Data for 2007 will be available at the end of November 2008.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts in England and Wales for offences relating to TV licence evasion 
			   Number 
			 2002 110,138 
			 2003 93,754 
			 2004 115,597 
			 2005 139,052 
			 2006 129,878

Television: Licensing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had on the television licence fee in the last seven days.

Andy Burnham: None.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Art Works

Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the contribution to the economy of the domestic art market; how many people are employed in the UK art market; what estimate he has made of the UK's share of the  (a) global and  (b) European art markets; and what progress the (i) Government and (ii) European Commission has made on securing an international agreement on artists' resale rights.

David Lammy: The Government commissioned the Intellectual Property Institute to produce an independent report on the effect on the UK art market of the introduction of artist's resale right. I refer my right hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement given by the then Minister of State for Science and Innovation on 2 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 59-60WS.
	The UK Government continue to support the European Community and its member states' proposal to the 'World Intellectual Property Organisation's Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights' that it should consider artist's resale right as part of its future work.

Dementia: Research

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer of 29 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1057W, on dementia: research, how much of the intended £30 million Medical Research Council (MRC) and Wellcome Trust funding into neurodegenerative diseases is to be funded by  (a) the MRC and the Wellcome Trust and  (b) by medical research charities; how much is to be spent in each year of the research programme; and how much is to be spent on research into each form of neurodegenerative disease.

David Lammy: Of the £30 million to be made available for research into this neurodegenerative disease initiative, the Medical Research Council (one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research) will provide £10 million and the Wellcome Trust (the UK's largest medical research charity) £20 million. Awards will be made jointly.
	The type of proposals that are submitted will determine whether other medical research charities contribute and, if so, how much they will contribute.
	The amounts to be spent in each year and the amounts to be spent on each form of neurodegenerative disease will depend on the proposals submitted. Research proposals in all areas of neurodegenerative disease will compete for the funding available. Awards will be made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health.

Departmental Information Officers

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much was spent on salaries for press and communications officers in  (a) his Department,  (b) its non-departmental public bodies and  (c) its agencies in each of the last three years.

Si�n Simon: (a) The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was established in June 2007 and as a result we are only able to provide information from June 2007 to March 2008. The salary cost for employing press officers in the Department was 267,095.52 and the cost of employing communications officers was 659,021.77.
	 (b) and  (c) For much of its business, the Department operates through a number of arms length bodies including 20 non-departmental public bodies and other agencies. It is the responsibility of each body to manage its staff and costs. Therefore the Department does not hold the information requested centrally and there would be a disproportionate cost to gather the information requested.

Departmental Pensions

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department and its agencies are members of the  (a) Classic,  (b) Classic Plus,  (c) Nuvos and  (d) Premium civil service pension schemes.

Si�n Simon: The information is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Pension scheme  Number of staff  Proportion (percentage) 
			 Classic 555 69 
			 Premium and Classic Plus 200 25 
			 NUVOS 33 4 
			 Total 788 98 
		
	
	The numbers exclude 25 staff in Government Skills, who transferred to my Department from Cabinet Office, whose pension details are not currently available.
	The Department does not hold details of individual numbers of staff in the Premium and Classic Plus schemes nor information on numbers of staff in each scheme in its two agencies. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Higher Education

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what research he plans to undertake on the scale and scope of higher education delivered by further education colleges; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: Data on the scale and scope of higher education delivered by further education colleges are collected annually. There has always been considerable diversity between further education colleges as regards the delivery of higher education. The best offer a distinctive form of excellence when they offer high quality convenient access to higher education for potential students who might not otherwise participate in higher education. Some colleges already do this; some are capable of becoming excellent; but some may decide that their strengths lie outside the delivery of higher education. We want to foster a sustainable system in which institutions take informed decisions about what they should and should not attempt to deliver in the light of the challenges we have identified through the debate we have launched on the long-term future of higher education.

Higher Education: Business

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps the Government have taken to strengthen the links between higher education institutions and the economy in their local areas.

David Lammy: The Government are supporting HEFCE's development of a programme of activities that will help Higher Education Institution's (HEIs) meet the high level skills needs of the economy, with a focus on enhancing the role of HE institutions in work force development. In particular, the 2008 HEFCE Grant letter allocated over 100 million of new resources over the spending review period to support new co-funded entrants, infrastructure development and wider employer engagement activity within HEIs. This will help HEIs make real progress in responding to the skills needs of employers and their staff and form a sustainable knowledge economy in which higher learning informs and improves economic performance.
	The Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) gives every English HEI funding to build its capacity to work with business. This fund will reach 150 million per annum by the end of the spending review period. In their HEIF strategies, 83 per cent. of institutions said that small and medium enterprises were a target, and 85 per cent. were targeting knowledge exchange activity within the region.
	During 2008-11 the Technology Strategy Board will co-ordinate a 1 billion programme in partnership with Research Councils and the Regional Development Agencies with a key aim of helping businesses to access the research base. In addition, RDAs will provide Innovation Vouchers to at least 500 businesses as a means for smaller firms to collaborate with knowledge institutions to help those firms boost their innovation.

Higher Education: Finance

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the block grant to each of the higher education institutions was for research in 2007-08.

David Lammy: Within England, the research block grant for higher education institutions is allocated and distributed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
	The following table sets out HEFCE research funding in 2007-08. The data are available in HEFCE publication 2007/32 'Recurrent grants for 2007:08Final Allocations'.
	
		
			million 
			   HEFCE  r esearch funding for 2007-08 
			  Universities  
			 Anglia Ruskin University 0.7 
			 Aston University 7.0 
			 University of Bath 18.1 
			 Bath Spa University 0.4 
			 University of Bedfordshire 0.5 
			 Birkbeck College 9.8 
			 University of Birmingham 43.0 
			 Birmingham City University 0.9 
			 University of Bolton 0.3 
			 Bournemouth University 0.8 
			 University of Bradford 6.9 
			 University of Brighton 4.9 
			 University of Bristol 43.2 
			 Brunei University 8.6 
			 Buckinghamshire New University 0.7 
			 University of Cambridge 107.1 
			 Canterbury Christ Church University 0.1 
			 University of Central Lancashire 1.5 
			 University of Chester 0.3 
			 University of Chichester 0.3 
			 City University, London 6.5 
			 Coventry University 1.1 
			 University of Cumbria 0.3 
			 De Montfort University 4.6 
			 University of Derby 0.3 
			 University of Durham 23.7 
			 University of East Anglia 16.0 
			 University of East London 1.6 
			 Edge Hill University 0.0 
			 University of Essex 11.0 
			 University of Exeter 14.2 
			 University of Gloucestershire 0.9 
			 Goldsmiths College, University of London 8.5 
			 University of Greenwich 1.7 
			 University of Hertfordshire 2.9 
			 University of Huddersfield 1.6 
			 University of Hull 6.4 
			 Imperial College London 91.8 
			 Keele University 6.8 
			 University of Kent 8.0 
			 King's College London 58.4 
			 Kingston University 1.3 
			 Lancaster University 17.8 
			 University of Leeds 47.2 
			 Leeds Metropolitan University 1.1 
			 University of Leicester 18.4 
			 University of Lincoln 0.3 
			 University of Liverpool 30.2 
			 Liverpool Hope University 0.1 
			 Liverpool John Moores University 3.1 
			 London Metropolitan University 0.8 
			 London South Bank University 1.5 
			 Loughborough University 15.6 
			 University of Manchester 77.0 
			 Manchester Metropolitan University 3.6 
			 Middlesex University 2.0 
			 University of Newcastle upon Tyne 32.9 
			 University of Northampton 0.4 
			 University of Northumbria at Newcastle 1.4 
			 University of Nottingham 39.7 
			 Nottingham Trent University 2.9 
			 Open University 7.9 
			 University of Oxford 104.2 
			 Oxford Brookes University 2.7 
			 University of Plymouth 3.8 
			 University of Portsmouth 4.5 
			 Queen Mary, University of London 24.2 
			 University of Reading 22.8 
			 Roehampton University 1.2 
			 Royal Holloway, University of London 14.3 
			 University of Salford 8.6 
			 University of Sheffield 43.9 
			 Sheffield Hallam University 3.9 
			 University of Southampton 46.5 
			 Southampton Solent University 0.1 
			 Staffordshire University 0.8 
			 University of Sunderland 1.1 
			 University of Surrey 18.0 
			 University of Sussex 17.9 
			 University of Teesside 0.5 
			 Thames Valley University 0.1 
			 University College London 101.3 
			 University of Warwick 30.6 
			 University of the West of England, Bristol 2.7 
			 University of Westminster 2.2 
			 University of Winchester 0.5 
			 University of Wolverhampton 0.7 
			 University of Worcester 0.1 
			 University of York 23.4 
			 York St John University 0.1 
			   
			  Specialist institutions and general colleges  
			 Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies 0.0 
			 Bishop Grosseteste University College, Lincoln 0.0 
			 Arts Institute at Bournemouth 0.0 
			 Institute of Cancer Research 16.2 
			 Central School of Speech and Drama 0.0 
			 Courtauld Institute of Art 1.3 
			 Cranfield University 9.6 
			 University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone, Rochester 0.6 
			 Conservatoire for Dance and Drama 0.0 
			 Dartington College of Arts 0.3 
			 Institute of Education 8.5 
			 University College Falmouth 0.2 
			 Guildhall School of Music and Drama 0.0 
			 Harper Adams University College 0.1 
			 Heythrop College 0.0 
			 Leeds College of Music 0.0 
			 Leeds Trinity and All Saints 0.0 
			 Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts 0.0 
			 University of the Arts London 9.7 
			 University of London 0.4 
			 London Business School 4.7 
			 London School of Economics and Political Science 18.1 
			 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 10.4 
			 Newman College of Higher Education 0.0 
			 Norwich School of Art and Design 0.2 
			 School of Oriental and African Studies 6.8 
			 School of Pharmacy 3.0 
			 University College Plymouth St. Mark and St. John 0.0 
			 Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication 0.0 
			 RCN Institute 0.0 
			 Rose Bruford College 0.0 
			 Royal Academy of Music 0.3 
			 Royal Agricultural College 0.0 
			 Royal College of Art 2.8 
			 Royal College of Music 0.4 
			 Royal Northern College of Music 0.2 
			 Royal Veterinary College 4.6 
			 St. George's Hospital Medical School 7.5 
			 St. Mary's University College 0.1 
			 Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance 0.0 
			 Writtle College 0.0 
			   
			 England total 1,413.0

Higher Education: Finance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps the Government have taken to ensure the funding formula of the Higher Education Funding Council for England is equitable for all higher education institutions.

David Lammy: The Government issue strategic direction from time to time to the Funding Council on the objectives to be achieved through its funding of institutions. We do this most notably in the annual grant letter to the Council determining priorities for the year ahead.

Higher Education: Research

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent steps the Government have taken to improve standards in research at UK universities.

David Lammy: This Government are committed to maintaining the UK's world class university system and have already taken significant and recent steps to sustain the excellence of the UK research base and improve the exploitation of knowledge. The decline in public investment in science during the 1980s and early 1990s has been reversed. Since 1997, the ring-fenced science budget has more than doubled and by the end of the spending review period research funding from the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills will reach almost 6 billion per annum. The Government have addressed the backlog of underinvestment in research infrastructure through a combination of capital funding and a move towards funding the full economic cost of research.
	The dual support funding system for research has a strong incentive effect. The combination of the research assessment exercise, which informs the HEFCE quality related block grant, and the Research Councils' competitive allocation of funding through peer review has driven up the quality of research. The combination has been extremely successful over the last decade and the UK ranks second only to the USA in the world for research excellence overall.

Higher Education: Research

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much the Government have allocated for research programmes in West Midlands universities in 2008-09.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills funds research programmes in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in England through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Research Councils.
	For West Midlands HEIs, HEFCE research funding for the year 2008-09 is 91.9 million. Data on Research Council funding is collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) from university returns. The most recent HESA data are for 2006-07, when West Midlands HEIs received 58.9 million of Research Council funding.

Higher Education: Research

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps the Government plan to take to improve the standards of research in UK higher education institutions.

David Lammy: The dual support funding system for research creates strong incentives for institutions to drive up the quality of their research. The Higher Education Funding Council is currently working on plans for the research excellence framework, which aims to promote excellent research while reducing the administrative burden of assessing it.

Higher Education: Research

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much quality related funding was awarded in the last funding round to universities in each region.

David Lammy: Quality Related research funding (QR) is allocated and distributed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
	The following table sets out QR funding from HEFCE for each of the regions in 2008/09. Figures include both quality-related research (QR) funding and capability funding. QR funding accounts for 98 per cent. of total HEFCE research funding.
	
		
			  2008-09 HEFCE research funding by region 
			  Region  ( million) 
			 East Midlands 84.4 
			 East of England 153.0 
			 London 432.7 
			 North East 60.9 
			 North West 150.4 
			 Open University 7.4 
			 South East 252.9 
			 South West 87.0 
			 West Midlands 91.9 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 137.9 
			 Total England 1,458.4

Intellectual Property

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when the proposed work programme for the Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property Policy will be made available; and what funding has been provided for the Board to conduct research.

David Lammy: Since its establishment in June, the Board of SABIP has identified a number of topics for its work programme and advised Ministers of these. Work is due to begin shortly on two of these, and a further three topics are in the process of being scoped.
	In line with the Gowers recommendation, 500,000 p.a. is available for SABIP to conduct its research programme.
	Full details of the work programme are available at
	www.sabip.org.uk.

Science: Higher Education

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 29 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 32-33WS, on Education (Student Support) Regulations, 
	(1)  which parts of the science budget are not ring-fenced;
	(2)  whether the research funding component of the Higher Education Funding Council for England's budget will be considered in his Department's search for cost savings.

David Lammy: holding answer 3 November 2008
	Funding for science and research has doubled since we took office. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made clear in his statement on 29 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 32-34WS that all of the budget for science will be maintained. That includes the research funding component of HEFCE's budget.

Student Loans Company: Telephone Services

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many calls have been made to the Student Loan Company's premium rate telephone line in each year since 2000; what the average duration of such calls was; what the revenue raised was; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Student Loan Company has not operated any premium rate telephone lines since 2000.

Vocational Training

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what qualifying criteria he has established for skills health checks.

Si�n Simon: In 'Opportunity, Employment and Progression: Making Skills Work' published in November 2007, which sets out our plans for reforming our welfare and skills system, the Government announced the introduction of a skills health check to help fully to assess the skills and learning requirements needed by unemployed people to support their return to work.
	The skills health check, which will include a new diagnostic assessment tool, will be delivered by careers advisers who will use the full range of advisory services they have at their disposal to consider an individual's skill strengths and gaps, and agree an action plan to address any needs they have. There are no qualifying criteria laid down to determine who should get this service, but priority will be given to those with the greatest need for help in getting back to work.
	The skills health check, including a prototype skills diagnostic tool, is being trialled as part of an integrated employment and skills offer, initially in the West Midlands, and from autumn 2010 will be available as part of a national adult advancement and careers service.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Attendance Allowance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for attendance allowance were  (a) made,  (b) granted and  (c) refused in each of the last five years; and of those applications refused, how many have been subject to (i) successful appeal, (ii) unsuccessful appeal and (iii) further review.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information on attendance allowance claims is in the following table. It is not possible to identify how many of the refused applications were subject to appeal.
	
		
			  Attendance allowance claims: Great Britain 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Received 422,140 393,890 410,730 384,870 375,590 
			 Awarded 329,090 310,150 325,050 310,640 306,890 
			 Refused 90,950 82,430 85,660 78,490 67,860 
			 All decisions 420,040 392,580 410,700 389,130 374,740 
			  Notes: 1. This information is generated by the disability living allowance/attendance allowance computer system for management purposes. It is not a National Statistic. Management information records and counts events. This means that the number of claims refused is not directly comparable to the number of claims received because a decision to refuse or accept a claim is not necessarily made in the same time period. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Claims received: It is not possible for a claimant to make concurrent multiple claims. A customer can make more than one claim in a year. However, a new claim cannot be made until a decision on the previous claim has been made. 4. All decisions will include decisions made on claims that were made in the previous year.  Source: DWP Management Information Statistics

Children: Maintenance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of children live in families receiving Child Support Agency payments.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 9 October 2008
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Commissioner for Child Maintenance.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children live in families receiving Child Support Agency payments  (a) in total and  (b) as a percentage of the total cohort.
	The Agency does not hold information on the number of children who live in families receiving child maintenance payments; however information on the number of children in respect of whom child maintenance is paid is available. At the end of September 2008, regular maintenance had been received in respect of 778,200 children, 69% of the total number of children in respect of whom maintenance was due.
	Further information on the number of children benefiting from maintenance payments, and the number of cases receiving regular maintenance is routinely published in the Child Support Agency's Quarterly Summary of Statistics (QSS), the latest copy of which is available in the House of Commons library or online at:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_support/csa_quarterly_sep08.asp
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency cases are being dealt with manually.

Kitty Ussher: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Commissioner for Child Maintenance.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Support Agency cases are being dealt with manually.
	At the end of September 44,000 open cases were being progressed clerically which is around 3% of the total caseload. Under the Agency's Operational Improvement Plan cases which for technical reasons can not be processed on the current computer system (CS2) were moved to our Bolton site to be administered clerically. By the end of September 2008, almost 60 million in child maintenance had been passed to parents with care whose cases are processed clerically.
	Information on the number of clerical cases is routinely published in Table 20 of the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics (QSS), the latest copy of which is available in the House of Commons library or online at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_support/csa_quarterly_sep08.asp
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell) of 20 October 2008,  Official Report, column 17, if he will bring forward proposals to change the basis of assessment of non-resident parents' incomes in respect of deductions allowed for company cars.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 4 November 2008
	 There are no plans to amend legislation in this respect.

Departmental Disabled Staff

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of  (a) his Department's and  (b) its agencies' staff were registered disabled in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of  (a) his Department's and  (b) its agencies' staff are registered disabled; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information is contained in the following table.
	The table sets out information about the numbers of staff who have declared themselves to be disabled. While the Department encourages staff to make a declaration, declaration is voluntary.
	We are aware that not all disabled staff do declare that they consider themselves to be disabled, and the true figure may be higher than the figures shown. For example, the 2008 DWP Staff Survey (which is completed anonymously), showed that 13.6 per cent. of respondents considered themselves to have a long standing health condition or disability. According to the latest figures provided, we currently have 5.7 per cent. of our work force declared disabled.
	The Department for Work and Pensions was created in July 2001, and figures prior to 2002 are unobtainable. Figures from 2002 to 2005 are based on the proportion of disabled staff as a proportion of all staff in the Department, including those who had not made a declaration about their disability. However, following new guidance from the Cabinet Office, the figures from 2006 to the present date exclude all staff who have not declared their disability status.
	
		
			   Department/agency  Disabled staff  Percentage disabled 
			 2008 DWP total 6,075 5.7 
			  Job Centre Plus 4,598 6.7 
			  The Pension Service 384 3.7 
			  Disability and Carers Service 356 6.1 
			  Child Support Agency 342 3.4 
			 
			 2007 DWP total 6,209 5.5 
			  Job Centre Plus 4,636 6.4 
			  The Pension Service 388 3.4 
			  Disability and Carers Service 385 5.9 
			  Child Support Agency 388 3.4 
			 
			 2006 DWP total 6,231 5.2 
			  Job Centre Plus 4,726 6.4 
			  The Pension Service 343 3.7 
			  Disability and Carers Service 390 5.5 
			  Child Support Agency 343 2.7 
			 
			 2005 DWP total 6,703 5.2 
			  Jobcentre Plus 5,073 6.3 
			  The Pension service 495 2.9 
			  Disability and Carers Service 392 5.5 
			  Child Support Agency 309 2.8 
			  Appeals Service 42 5.4 
			 
			 2004 DWP total 7,066 5.1 
			  Job Centre Plus 5,389 6.3 
			  The Pension Service 538 2.7 
			  Disability and Carers Service 396 5.1 
			  Child Support Agency 305 2.5 
			  Appeals Service 44 5.1 
			 
			 2003 DWP total 6,999 5.0 
			  Jobcentre Plus 5,433 6.4 
			  The Pension Service 502 2.7 
			  Disability and Carers Service 307 3.9 
			  Child Support Agency 304 2.4 
			  Appeals Service 49 5.2 
			 
			 2002 DWP total 7,273 5.4

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what sanctions are available in cases of departmental staff found to have committed disciplinary offences; and how many times each has been used in each of the last three years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department has a range of sanctions that can be applied according to the seriousness of the offence. These are:
	Oral warning;
	Written warning;
	Final written warning;
	Compulsory transfer;
	Financial penalty;
	Withdrawal of internet access;
	Ban on promotion and temporary duties allowance;
	Withdrawal of flexitime;
	Demotion; and
	Dismissal.
	Information on the number of disciplinary penalties issued is provided as follows. The Department introduced a new personnel computer system incrementally from November 2006, being fully implemented by April 2007. Information is not available from this system prior to April 2007.
	Information on written warnings and final written warnings is recorded together and cannot be separated.
	
		
			  Penalty type  1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008  1 April 2008 to 30 September 2008( 1)  Total 
			 Oral warning(2) 637 303 940 
			 Written warning(2) 449 247 696 
			 Dismissal 202 126 328 
			 Grand total 1,288 676 1,964 
			 (1) Latest date for which figures are available. (2) This records the number of instances, it is not a record of the number of individuals. An individual can have more than one warning. 
		
	
	
		
			  Additional sanction type  1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008  1 April 2008 to 30 September 2008( 1)  Total 
			 Compulsory transfer 1 1 2 
			 Financial penalty 2 1 3 
			 Withdrawal of internet access 0 0 0 
			 Ban on promotion 14 10 24 
			 Ban on temporary duties allowance 16 7 23 
			 Withdrawal of flexitime 0 0 0 
			 Demotion 4 1 5 
			 Grand total 37 20 57 
			 (1) Latest date for which figures are available.

Departmental Older Workers

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals over the ages of  (a) 50,  (b) 55 and  (c) 60 years were recruited by his Department in each of the last 10 years; and what percentage of total new employees each figure represents.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001. Therefore the first full year that recruitment statistics are available is the year ending 31 March 2003.
	The available information on recruits is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Recruits by age range 
			  Year ending  March each year  Age 50-5 4  Percentage of all recruits  Age 55 - 59  Percentage of all recruits  Age 60+  Percentage of all recruits  Total  r ecruits 
			 2003 780 7.1 411 3.8 59 0.5 10,919 
			 2004 638 7.6 446 5.3 77 0.9 8,345 
			 2005 270 8.1 183 5.5 52 1.6 3,345 
			 2006 501 8.3 322 5.3 69 1.1 6,044 
			 2007 461 8.1 330 5.8 80 1.4 5,671 
			 2008 472 7.4 344 5.4 117 1.8 6,393 
			  Note: Includes permanent and temporary recruits.

Departmental Trade Unions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many civil servants in his Department were seconded to work for  (a) trades unions and  (b) the Trades Union Congress in each year since 2003.

Jonathan R Shaw: Data on how many civil servants were seconded to work for trade unions and the Trades Union Congress in each year since 2003 are not held centrally. Secondments are arranged locally by individuals and line managers and to gather this information would involve line managers trawling their records at disproportionate cost.

Disability Living Allowance

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what legislation provides for the disability living allowance mobility component; what  (a) statutory instruments,  (b) departmental circulars and  (c) other documents he (i) has issued and (ii) plans to issue in the next 12 months consequent on the provisions of that legislation; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The disability living allowance mobility component is provided for primarily by the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 (1992 c4)/Part III Non-contributory Benefits and the Social Security (Disability Living Allowance) Regulations 1991, SI.1991/2890, as amended. The most easily accessible version of the amended legislation can be found on the internet at:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/docs/lawvols/bluevol/
	Prior to, and since the introduction of disability living allowance in 1992, there have been numerous departmental communications to staff on the mobility component including guidance, information notes, memos and bulletins. Details of these communications are not centrally collated and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	There are currently no plans to amend the disability living allowance regulations in the next 12 months. It is not possible to say what circulars or other documents will be issued during this period.

Disability Living Allowance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people claiming  (a) disability living allowance and  (b) attendance allowance receive awards for an indefinite period, broken down by condition.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information is in the tables.
	
		
			  Disability living allowance cases in payment by main disabling condition: Indefinite awards Great Britain ,  February 2008 
			   Indefinite awards  Proportion of awards that are for an indefinite period (percentage) 
			 Arthritis 474,300 86 
			 Back Ailments 197,000 78 
			 Muscle/Joint/Bone Disease 169,000 70 
			 Blindness 58,900 86 
			 Deafness 23,000 63 
			 Heart Disease 132,800 87 
			 Chest Disease 77,200 87 
			 Stroke Related 87,700 83 
			 Frailty 2,500 93 
			 Epilepsy 33,200 48 
			 Multiple Sclerosis 59,000 93 
			 Parkinson's Disease 15,400 96 
			 Diabetes Mellitus 28,900 53 
			 Learning Difficulty 182,100 62 
			 Mental Health Causes 211,300 43 
			 Renal Disorders 7,300 59 
			 AIDS 6,300 84 
			 Skin Disease 4,300 29 
			 Malignant Disease 40,100 57 
			 Other 226,800 66 
		
	
	
		
			  Attendance allowance cases in payment by disabling condition: Indefinite awards Great Britain, February 2008 
			   Indefinite awards  Proportion of awards that are for an indefinite period (percentage) 
			 Arthritis 474,000 99 
			 Back Ailments 32,500 98 
			 Muscle/Joint/Bone Disease 81,700 98 
			 Blindness 53,200 100 
			 Deafness 3,300 98 
			 Heart Disease 125,700 99 
			 Chest Disease 65,800 99 
			 Stroke Related 99,200 98 
			 Frailty 217,000 100 
			 Epilepsy 4,100 99 
			 Multiple Sclerosis 2,500 100 
			 Parkinson's Disease 30,700 99 
			 Diabetes Mellitus 29,700 99 
			 Learning Difficulty 2,400 100 
			 Mental Health Causes 133,100 99 
			 Renal Disorders 4,700 93 
			 AIDS  100 
			 Skin Disease 1,000 95 
			 Malignant Disease 25,900 92 
			 Other 87,000 79 
			  = Nil or negligible.   Notes:  1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.  2. Figures are subject to a high degree of sampling error and should be used only as a guide.  3. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number.  4. Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.  5. Where more than one disability is present the main disabling condition only is recorded. Other includes 25 medical conditions.  6. A diagnosed medical condition does not mean that someone is automatically entitled to disability living allowance or attendance allowance. Entitlement is dependent on an assessment of how much help someone needs with personal care and/or mobility because of their disability. These statistics are only collected for administrative purposes.  7. Although the preferred data source for benefit statistics is 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, the 5 per cent. sample data has been used in this case because it provides some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources, in particular, more complete information on the disabling condition of disability living allowance claimants.   Source:  Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample.

Disability Living Allowance: Children

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children under the age of 16 years in the London Borough of Redbridge have received the  (a) (i) higher and (ii) lower level mobility component of disability living allowance and  (b) (A) highest, (B) middle and (C) lowest level personal care component of disability living allowance in the last 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Numbers of recipients of disability living allowance in the London borough of Redbridge under the age of 16 by component: February 2008 
			   Number 
			 Highest rate care and higher rate mobility 210 
			 Highest rate care and lower rate mobility 120 
			 Highest rate care only 120 
			 Middle rate care and higher rate mobility 70 
			 Middle rate care and lower rate mobility 300 
			 Middle rate care only 220 
			 Lowest rate care and higher rate mobility  
			 Lowest rate care and lower rate mobility  
			 Lowest rate care only 70 
			 Higher rate mobility only  
			 Lower rate mobility only  
			  Notes: 1. '' = nil or negligible 2. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 4. These figures are available on the DWP website at www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Disability Living Allowance: Mentally Ill

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what circumstances someone with a mental health problem might receive the mobility component of disability living allowance.

Jonathan R Shaw: Entitlement to disability living allowance is not linked to particular disabling conditions, but is based on the extent to which a severely disabled person has personal care needs and/or walking difficulties as a result of their disability. People with a mental health problem are therefore able to claim the care component or mobility component of disability living allowance if they have such needs or difficulties.
	The mobility component to disability living allowance is paid at one of two rates. Entitlement to the higher rate mobility component is broadly based on whether someone has a physical disablement which makes them unable or virtually unable to walk or is deemed to be treated as satisfying those conditions of entitlement. Entitlement to the lower rate mobility component is broadly based on whether someone requires guidance or supervision from another person when out of doors on unfamiliar routes. People with mental health problems are among the groups of disabled people who are likely to benefit from the lower rate mobility component.

Disability Living Allowance: Sight Impaired

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with a visual impairment have applied for the  (a) lower rate and  (b) higher rate of the mobility component of the disability living allowance in the last 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information is not available. Claimants apply for disability living allowance using a single claim pack, rather than applying separately for specific components.

Elderly

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to ensure that elderly people take full advantage of the energy-saving schemes available to them.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) funds the Warm Front scheme, which is the Government's main programme for tackling the problem of fuel poverty in the private sector in England. The scheme provides a grant for specified heating and insulation measures of up to 2,700, or up to 4,000 where the work approved includes installation of an oil fired central heating system. The scheme works alongside a wide range of stakeholders, including local authorities, National Energy Action and other charities to ensure that those eligible for assistance receive the help they are entitled to. The scheme has been designed with its vulnerable and often elderly client base firmly in mind, and ensures ease of use and trouble free access to the measures available.
	In addition to this, DECC funds the Energy Saving Trust (EST), which is a not-for-profit organisation, providing independent advice and support to consumers on sustainable energy and carbon emissions reductions. The EST raises awareness and support through regional advice centres that provide a one stop shop, which offers a range of free and impartial advice on energy efficiency and easy access to the full range of offers available, for example under Warm Front and for the over 70s under the Carbon Emission Reduction Target. The EST has an informative, user friendly website and can be contacted for free through the Government-funded Act on CO2 advice line.
	The Act on CO2 campaign has been broadcast nationally on TV, in the press, on the radio and online, with a new campaign website featuring a range of advice, tools and guidance on saving money and saving energy.

Fuel Poverty: Hillingdon

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) households and  (b) pensioner households he estimates are in fuel poverty in (i) the London Borough of Hillingdon and (ii) Uxbridge constituency; how many there were in (A) the London Borough of Hillingdon and (B) Uxbridge constituency in 1996-97; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.
	The most recent year for which sub-national estimates of fuel poverty are available is 2003. The data for fuel poverty levels for 2003 come from the Fuel Poverty Indicator datasetavailable online at:
	http://www.fuelpovertyindicator.org.uk/
	In 2003, there were around 4,800 households in the London borough of Hillingdon in fuel poverty and around 1,600 households in the Uxbridge constituency in fuel poverty.
	The data are not split by type of household.
	There is no consistent source of data available for sub-regional estimates of fuel poverty for 1996-97.

Incapacity Benefit

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people began a claim for  (a) incapacity benefit and  (b) disability living allowance in each of the last 12 months, broken down by category of incapacity;
	(2)  how many people began to claim disability living allowance in each of the last 60 months, broken down by disability.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were  (a) passed as eligible for,  (b) examined before being passed as eligible for and  (c) on incapacity benefit and disability living allowance in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08.

Jonathan R Shaw: Incapacity benefit is generally awarded initially on the basis of a medical certificate and the claimant meeting the contribution conditions. Referral for the personal capability assessment takes place once incapacity benefit has been awarded.
	The available information on new claims is in the following tables.
	
		
			  New claims for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, Great Britain 
			  Quarter ending  Number 
			 May 2006 145,400 
			 August 2006 152,300 
			 November 2006 161,900 
			 February 2007 149,400 
			 May 2007 150,900 
			 August 2007 157,700 
			 November 2007 158,400 
			 February 2008 123,500 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. It has not been possible to supply this data on a financial year basis, due to the way datasets were created. 3. Figures for the latest quarter do not include any late notifications and are subject to major changes in future quarters. For illustration purposes, total commencements for May 2004 increased by 18 per cent. in the year following their initial release. 4. The best statistics on benefits are now derived from 100 per cent. data sources. However, the 5 per cent. sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources. Figures are subject to a high degree of sampling error and should only be used as a guide.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample. 
		
	
	
		
			  Disability living allowance new awards, Great Britain 
			  Quarter ending  Number 
			 May 2006 54,200 
			 August 2006 59,800 
			 November 2006 57,700 
			 February 2007 58,400 
			 May 2007 57,800 
			 August 2007 61,700 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and have been uprated to be consistent with WPLS data. 2. Figures include people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example, if they are in hospital. 3. No scan data was available for November 2007. This means that it is not possible to determine on-flows from August 2007 to November 2007 and from November 2007 to February 2008. 4. The best statistics on benefits are now derived from 100 per cent. data sources. However, the 5 per cent. sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources. Figures are subject to a high degree of sampling error and should only be used as a guide.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample. 
		
	
	
		
			  Disability living allowance awards where the customer was examined by a health care professional, Great Britain 
			   Number 
			 2006-07 20,628 
			 2007-08 18,149 
			  Source: The Disability Living Allowance Legacy Computer System. 
		
	
	It is not possible to provide details about the number of individuals who became entitled to both incapacity benefit and disability living allowance. Information about the number of people who receive both disability living allowance and incapacity benefit is in the following table.
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance and disability living allowance (entitled cases) 
			   Number 
			 May 2006 1,288,510 
			 August 2006 1,290,810 
			 November 2006 1,299,010 
			 February 2007 1,299,760 
			 May 2007 1,301,180 
			 August 2007 1,307,730 
			 November 2007 1,314,210 
			 February 2008 1,312,080 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Disability living allowance figures represent all people with an entitlement, including cases where the payment has been suspended, for example, if they are in hospital.  Source: WPLS 100 per cent. data

Incapacity Benefit

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average processing time was for incapacity benefit applications in each quarter of each of the last five years  (a) in total and  (b) in each of the smallest geographical areas for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: From 2003 to 2006 the lowest geographical area for which figures are available was at a district level. From 2006 to date the lowest geographical area for which figures are available is at benefit delivery centre (BDC) level.
	The information has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the completion date of the reassessment of incapacity benefit recipients via work capability assessment.

Jonathan R Shaw: In the Green Paper 'No-one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility', Cm 7363, we proposed a process for migrating existing incapacity benefit claimants onto the employment and support allowance. As part of that process we proposed the application of the work capability assessment. The consultation period for this Green Paper ended on 22 October and we will be publishing our response to the consultation as soon as possible. We would expect the process of migration to be completed by the end of 2013, if we decide to proceed as proposed.

Inspections

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many inspectors were employed by his Department in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 1997-98.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions was established in 2001. The core Department does not currently employ any inspectors. Details of any inspectors employed by its predecessor Departments is not available.
	The Rent Service, an Agency of the Department, employs 311 rent officers. As part of their duties rent officers carry out inspections of properties to assess property rental rates in relation to housing benefit claims.
	The Rent Service was established in 1999, prior to this rent officers were employed by local authorities. The number previously employed by local authorities is not available.
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), a non-departmental public body, employs health and safety inspectors and security inspectors. The numbers are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  1 April each year  Health and safety inspectors  Security inspectors 
			 1998 1,473 0 
			 2008 1,366 13 
			  Notes:  1. All figures quoted are full-time equivalents.  2. Transfers of staff between inspection bodies have caused some fluctuations in the number of health and safety inspectors over the period covered by this questionin particular, the transfer of 99 FTE inspectors to the Office of Rail Regulation on 1 April 2006.  3. Security inspectors work in HSE's Nuclear Directorate and transferred to HSE, from what was the Department for Trade and Industry, on 1 April 2007.

New Deal for Lone Parents

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of leavers from the New Deal for Lone Parents Programme entered immediately into sustainable employment, broken down by  (a) region and  (b) Jobcentre Plus district; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 23 October 2008
	 The information requested is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number and proportion of leavers (spells) from new deal for lone parents into sustained employment by Jobcentre Plus region, cumulative data to February 2008 
			   Sustained employment  Proportion of known and unknown destinations (percentage)  Proportion of known destinations (percentage) 
			 Scotland 57,170 43.3 46.9 
			 North East 33,190 45.1 48.7 
			 North West 71,640 43.3 46.8 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 52,960 44.6 48.4 
			 Wales 35,940 43.4 47.2 
			 West Midlands 40,070 41.3 45.1 
			 East Midlands 29,550 46.6 50.9 
			 East of England 31,790 41.3 45.9 
			 South East 45,250 43.7 47.8 
			 London 47,120 29.9 33.6 
			 South West 44,670 44.5 48.8 
			 Region unknown 3,760 41.4 48.4 
			 Total 493,100 41.8 45.7 
		
	
	
		
			  Number and proportion of leavers (spells) from new deal for lone parents into sustained employment by Jobcentre Plus district, cumulative data to February 2008 
			   Sustained employment  Proportion of known and unknown destinations (percentage)  Proportion of known destinations (percentage) 
			 Ayrshire, Dumfries, Galloway and Inverclyde 8,430 42.7 46.6 
			 Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders 9,020 44.1 47.9 
			 Glasgow 8,220 39.4 42.5 
			 Lanarkshire and Dumbarton 7,390 42.3 45.6 
			 Forth Valley, Fife and Tayside 11,820 45.6 49.5 
			 Highlands, Islands, Clyde Coast and Grampian 12,290 44.4 48.2 
			 Tees Valley 9,760 46.8 50.1 
			 South Tyne and Wear Valley 12,560 44.1 47.5 
			 Northumbria 10,860 45.0 48.9 
			 Cheshire, Halton and Warrington 5,660 44.0 47.9 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 15,730 44.3 48.1 
			 Merseyside 18,560 41.5 44.5 
			 Greater Manchester Central 13,970 42.0 45.4 
			 Greater Manchester East and West 17,720 45.5 49.2 
			 South Yorkshire 13,220 45.3 49.3 
			 North and East Yorkshire and The Humber 15,040 45.3 50.2 
			 West Yorkshire 24,680 43.7 47.0 
			 South Wales Valleys 8,600 44.0 47.7 
			 South East Wales 9,450 46.2 50.0 
			 North and Mid Wales 9,730 41.9 46.4 
			 South West Wales 8,160 41.5 44.8 
			 Birmingham and Solihull 8,030 34.4 38.4 
			 Coventry and Warwickshire 4,670 43.7 47.4 
			 Staffordshire 7,940 47.0 50.9 
			 Black Country 11,440 40.4 43.7 
			 The Marches 8,000 45.0 48.8 
			 Derbyshire 6,830 44.5 48.2 
			 Lincolnshire and Rutland 5,720 47.9 52.6 
			 Nottinghamshire 7,430 44.4 48.7 
			 Leicestershire and Northamptonshire 9,570 49.2 53.8 
			 Essex 10,950 37.8 42.3 
			 Norfolk 4,270 44.5 48.7 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 9,050 44.2 48.8 
			 Cambridgeshire and Suffolk 7,510 42.0 46.7 
			 Hampshire 12,980 46.5 50.4 
			 Kent 12,630 41.4 45.8 
			 Berks, Bucks and Oxfordshire 8,690 45.5 48.8 
			 Surrey and Sussex 10,940 42.0 46.4 
			 City and East London 3,340 29.1 32.3 
			 Central London 4,140 26.5 30.0 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth 6,070 29.9 33.1 
			 South London 15,180 31.5 35.5 
			 North and North East London 9,460 28.1 32.0 
			 West London 8,940 31.4 35.0 
			 West of England 8,370 40.9 45.2 
			 Cornwall and Devon 16,540 44.2 48.5 
			 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 10,600 46.4 50.6 
			 Somerset and Dorset 9,160 46.4 51.2 
			 District unknown 3,770 41.4 48.4 
			 Total 493,100 41.8 45.7 
			  Notes:  1. Immediate destination is measured within two weeks of leaving new deal, using information from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.  2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate.

Plain English

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many documents produced by his Department were submitted to the Plain English Campaign for approval for Crystal Mark status in each year since 2005; and how many documents achieved such status in each year.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department of Work and Pensions submitted and obtained the Crystal Mark for 47 products in 2005, 65 in 2006, 48 in 2007 and 19 in 2008.
	The Department of Work and Pensions may also have asked the Plain English Campaign to edit products for which the Department did not want the Crystal Mark but details of these are not held.
	From August 2008, plain English editing and accreditation have been procured from the Plain Language Commission and details of all the products sent for editing or editing and accreditation are recorded.

Plain English

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on Plain English Campaign training courses in each year since 2005.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department of Work and Pensions do not hold information on the cost of training costs provided by Plain English Campaign in previous years centrally and this could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	From August 2008, plain English training has been procured from the Plain Language Commission and details of the cost will be available centrally.

Rural Areas

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in respect of which of his Department's public service agreements rural proofing of departmental policies is stipulated.

Tony McNulty: Rural proofing of departmental policies is not stipulated in either of the Department's public service agreementsPSA 8: maximise employment opportunity for all, or PSA 17: tackle poverty and promote greater independence and well-being in later life.
	The policies that support these Government outcomes are, however, rural proofed as part of the ongoing policy development and maintenance processes.

Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was overpaid in benefits through  (a) fraud and  (b) error in the category of (i) full-time earnings, (ii) part-time earnings, (iii) dependants, (iv) capital, (v) income, (vi) living together as husband and wife, (vii) identity errors, (viii) address errors, (ix) housing, (x) benefits, (xi) abroad, (xii) hospitalisation, (xiii) maintenance, (xiv) non-dependants, (xv) prison and (xvi) any other category in each year since 1997 for which information is available.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not available in the exact manner requested or at all for 1997-98 and 1999-2000. The available information responds to the Member's request as far as is possible and has been placed in the Library.
	The available information can also be found in the National Statistics reports on Fraud and Error in the Benefit System available at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd2/fraud_error.asp

Tax Allowances: Pensioners

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in  (a) Leeds West constituency,  (b) Leeds Metropolitan District and  (c) the UK are receiving the 25 pence age allowance.

Rosie Winterton: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  State pension claimants getting age addition as at September 2007 
			   Number 
			 Leeds West Parliamentary constituency 3,400 
			 Leeds Local Authority Area 30,000 
			 Great Britain 2,608,700 
			  Notes: 1. Data is taken from 5 per cent. extracts of the Pensions Strategy Computer System, therefore figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. 2. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 3. Local authorities are allocated using the Office for National Statistics postcode directory.

Unemployment

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what capacity his Department has to react quickly in the event of a rapid increase in unemployment in a particular economic sub-region.

Tony McNulty: Jobcentre Plus offers a proactive service which can respond flexibly to increases in unemployment in a particular area. For example, when Jobcentre Plus is notified of an upcoming redundancy situation in a particular locality, it makes contact with the employer to find out more about the scale and timing of the redundancies and to offer support relevant to the employer's and employee's needs. A range of support can be provided including information about alternative jobs and how best to source them; matching employees to current vacancies; offering on-site job shops and fairs; helping people draw-up CVs and brush-up their jobsearch skills; providing information about in and out of work benefits/tax credits; and facilitating the process of taking jobseeker's allowance claims where this is needed.
	Jobcentre Plus works with partners such as the Learning and Skills Council, Skills Development Scotland, and the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (Wales), local development agencies and business organisations to ensure a co-ordinated response. Where a redundancy situation is particularly large relative to the size of the local labour market, additional rapid response funding is available, alongside funding from partner organisations, to provide additional help such as an individual skills analysis to help identify transferable skills and gaps; job-focused training to help individuals develop vocational skills; and an action fund to overcome individual barriers to work.
	Many people who experience redundancy find alternative work quickly, but individuals who need to make a claim for jobseeker's allowance are provided with support to help them maintain their attachment to the labour market and look for work effectively. Most jobseeker's allowance claimants find another job quicklyover half of people making a new claim leave jobseeker's allowance within three months and three quarters within six months. In addition to mainstream services and programmes, specialist support is also available including help with literacy, numeracy or language skills through the Learning and Skills Council's Employment Skills Programme; access to programme centres which provide help with jobsearch skills, confidence and motivation and 'soft' skills associated with the world of work; and fast-tracking to the new deal for those that need it.

Unemployment

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to monitor rapid fluctuations in unemployment levels on a  (a) national and  (b) regional level.

Tony McNulty: Information on unemployment at national and regional level is published monthly by the Office for National Statistics. Latest figures show that in the most recent period unemployment has risen nationally on both the ILO and claimant measures and the trends at regional level have been broadly similar.

Unemployment Benefits: Interviews

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work-focused interviews have been conducted in each month since their introduction, broken down by region.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many work focused interviews have been conducted in each month since their introduction, broken down by region. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	We are unable to provide information prior to April 2006. The tables in the annex provide the total number of Work Focused Interviews that have taken place monthly since April 2006, by region.
	 Annex :
	
		
			  Jobcentre plusIncapacity benefit/Lone parent WFIs 
			  Periods  East of England  East Midlands  London  North East  North West  Scotland  South East  South West  Wales  West Midlands  Yorks  and  Humber 
			 April 2006 7,638 6,511 14,118 5,693 12,520 9,517 8,230 6,091 5,300 7,117 8,137 
			 May 2006 9,066 8,209 15,661 6,774 16,885 12,865 10,066 7,904 6,747 8,714 10,366 
			 June 2006 11,851 10,743 21,340 9,225 21,175 15,769 13,267 10,675 9,018 11,584 13,522 
			 July 2006 9,047 8,142 16,834 7,291 16,750 11,885 9,570 8,609 7,424 9,075 10,973 
			 August 2006 10,580 9,548 19,583 8,803 20,406 17,008 11,530 9,671 8,604 10,951 13,388 
			 September 2006 9,767 9,054 19,000 7,978 18,899 12,624 10,992 8,300 7,991 10,416 11,607 
			 October 2006 9,557 9,157 18,533 7,812 18,500 13,495 9,888 8,170 8,016 10,197 11,456 
			 November 2006 12,740 11,734 24,481 9,837 24,961 17,491 13,862 10,795 10,332 13,587 14,471 
			 December 2006 6,956 6,589 12,059 5,773 13,908 9,380 7,257 5,958 5,952 7,314 8,421 
			 January 2007 11,739 10,580 20,109 10,115 22,414 16,957 12,219 9,896 10,008 11,673 13,214 
			 February 2007 10,657 9,430 19,310 8,866 20,944 15,356 11,321 9,129 9,061 10,991 12,535 
			 March 2007 13,019 11,426 25,852 10,933 26,819 19,650 14,754 11,470 11,486 14,663 14,995 
			 April 2007 9,923 8,737 20,223 8,778 20,792 14,700 11,067 8,168 9,026 11,633 11,572 
			 May 2007 12,796 11,304 25,602 10,500 26,642 20,788 14,315 10,749 11,429 14,117 14,275 
			 June 2007 10,585 9,998 23,674 9,613 23,901 17,172 12,861 9,818 10,302 13,265 12,842 
			 July 2007 10,491 9,681 22,193 9,682 23,328 16,018 12,790 9,654 10,416 12,751 12,953 
			 August 2007 12,438 11,410 24,673 12,166 28,029 22,129 13,982 11,170 12,670 15,481 15,499 
			 September 2007 11,041 9,981 23,910 10,999 24,669 16,000 13,341 9,915 10,999 13,269 14,019 
			 October 2007 10,551 9,277 21,187 10,692 22,959 16,209 11,839 8,882 10,725 12,738 13,551 
			 November 2007 13,858 12,431 26,867 13,416 29,045 20,352 15,591 11,411 12,647 16,296 16,707 
			 December 2007 7,773 6,759 14,866 7,633 16,711 12,023 8,544 6,521 7,189 9,329 9,957 
			 January 2008 16,679 14,748 32,001 16,474 35,270 26,055 19,018 13,872 15,102 19,500 20,274 
			 February 2008 11,575 10,349 21,235 12,130 24,490 17,228 12,669 9,553 10,932 13,821 14,476 
			 March 2008 9,446 9,042 20,055 10,504 20,419 15,323 11,890 8,653 9,055 11,499 11,618 
			 April 2008 7,345 5,755 17,403 5,223 13,024 8,007 9,038 6,064 5,629 10,008 8,750 
			 May 2008 8,459 7,248 23,252 6,688 15,348 11,070 11,778 7,617 6,259 10,692 10,113 
			 June 2008 7,817 6,697 21,236 5,850 14,562 10,014 11,061 6,553 6,015 10,430 9,571 
			 July 2008 10,260 8,751 25,425 7,779 18,446 11,988 13,782 8,830 7,416 12,383 12,369 
			 August 2008 7,486 6,682 19,077 5,778 14,705 11,067 10,206 6,891 5,707 9,958 8,772 
			 September 2008 9,058 7,670 23,706 6,823 16,070 9,691 12,658 7,685 6,114 11,406 10,706 
			 Total 310,199 277,643 633,465 269,828 622,590 447,831 359,387 268,673 267,572 354,858 371,108 
			  Notes: 1. The table includes all incapacity benefit and lone parent work focused interviews conducted between April 2006 and September 2008 (latest available data) broken down by month and Region. 2. There was a database prior to April 2006 called the Activity Based Information database (ABI). However, this database only included limited information on adviser interviews. For 2003/04 and 2004/05 only new deal appointments were included. In 2005/06 more advisory appointments were included. However they were not as comprehensive and wide ranging as the ABM data.  Source: Jobcentre Plus Activity Based Management (ABM) database.

Vocational Training: Expenditure

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on retraining programmes for new employees in each of the last 10 years.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information on the cost of retraining programmes for new hires in each of the last 10 years is not held centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Bankruptcy: Greater London

Paul Burstow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many individuals in each  (a) age cohort and  (b) London borough filed for bankruptcy in 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The number of bankruptcies in 2007 by age cohort, and separately, by London borough can be seen in tables 1 and 2 below.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  Age group  2007 
			 Under 25 3,108 
			 25 to 34 15,492 
			 35 to 44 19,259 
			 45 to 54 12,527 
			 55 to 64 7,070 
			 65 and over 2,504 
			 Unknown ages 4,507 
			   
			 Total 64,467 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 
			  London borough  2007 
			 Barking and Dagenham 228 
			 Barnet 270 
			 Bexley 168 
			 Brent 186 
			 Bromley 272 
			 Camden 227 
			 City of London 14 
			 City of Westminster 193 
			 Croydon 266 
			 Ealing 201 
			 Enfield 231 
			 Greenwich 283 
			 Hackney 224 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 155 
			 Haringey 232 
			 Harrow 150 
			 Havering 230 
			 Hillingdon 195 
			 Hounslow 186 
			 Islington 239 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 141 
			 Kingston upon Thames 109 
			 Lambeth 261 
			 Lewisham 273 
			 Merton 109 
			 Newham 230 
			 Redbridge 208 
			 Richmond upon Thames 150 
			 Southwark 241 
			 Sutton 138 
			 Tower Hamlets 237 
			 Waltham Forest 210 
			 Wandsworth 175 
			   
			 Total 6,632

Credit

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will take steps to reduce consumer borrowing; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Government have no plans to intervene in markets to reduce consumer borrowing. Restricting access to credit risks driving low income consumers to use illegal lenders. In other economies where controls exist the incidence of illegal lending is higher than in the UK.
	The vast majority of consumers benefit from access to credit. Most manage their debts responsibly and are in control of their finances. However, for the minority who experience problems managing credit, the Government are providing support in form of measures to promote access to affordable credit and free debt advice.
	In addition, the Consumer Credit Act 2006 has provided stronger protections for consumers. The OFT will now apply a more rigorous test of a firm's fitness to hold a consumer credit licence, including taking into account any evidence of irresponsible lending.

Debts

John Battle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory -Reform when the Ministerial Group on over indebtedness last met; when the next meeting will be held; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Government take the issue of over-indebtedness extremely seriously. Ministerial discussions of credit and debt issues are taking place in many forums such as the National Economic Council and the cross-Government work on the housing market, including the mortgage rescue scheme.
	The Ministerial Group on over-indebtedness agreed the Government's strategy on over-indebtedness in 2004. It provides direction and approval of the Government's annual report, 'Tackling Over-indebtedness', that has been issued since 2005. The group has found it effective to conduct its business by paper rather than physically meeting.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was spent on the upkeep of his Department's website in 2007-08; and how many people visited the site in that year.

Patrick McFadden: The main cost elements of the upkeep of the Department's website are:
	The Rhythmyx content management system (CMS). The CMS is used by staff across the Department and cost 1,029,474.83 in 2007-08.
	Provision and maintenance of the site's search engine facility by a third-party supplier, Open Objects. In 2007-08 this cost 15,784.21
	The Department for Business website (www.berr.gov.uk) received a total of 10,107,460 visits from 6,589,815 unique visitors in the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many page hits from how many visitors the departmental website received in the 2007-08 financial year.

Patrick McFadden: In the 2007-08 financial year, www.berr.gov.uk received 34,781,332 page views from 6,589,815 unique visitors.

Departmental Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many people aged over  (a) 55 and  (b) 60 years of age were recruited by his Department in 2007-08; and what percentage in each case this was of the number of new recruits.

Patrick McFadden: The number of people who were recruited into BERR from its creation in June 2007 to 24 October 2008 is as follows:
	Number of entrants aged over 55 = 122;
	Number of entrants aged over 60 = 15.
	These represent people recruited through external recruitment campaigns, other Government Department transfers, secondments, loans and machinery of Government changes.
	The percentage represented by direct entrants through external recruitment campaigns is as follows:
	Number of new recruits aged over 55 = 4 per cent. (five);
	Number of new recruits aged over 60 = 6.6 per cent. (1).

Departmental Reorganisation

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many staff from his Department are to be redeployed to the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Patrick McFadden: The new Department (DECC) will consist of posts taken from the existing Departments for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and from Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (DEFRA). The detail is still being worked on, but approximately 500 posts will be redeployed from BERR.

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what personal training courses at public expense he has undertaken since his appointment.

Patrick McFadden: My noble Friend the Secretary of State has had some training on how to use one of the BlackBerry devices issued by the Department.

Fireworks

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his policy is on prohibition of the public sale of fireworks.

Gareth Thomas: The Fireworks (Safety) Regulations 1997 prohibit the supply of fireworks to anyone under the age of 18. They also prohibit the supply of any fireworks which do not meet British standard 7114, certain banned fireworks and the supply of category 4 fireworks to non-professionals. The under-18s are prohibited from possessing fireworks in a public place by the Fireworks Regulations 2004.
	The 2004 regulations also require that anyone who wishes to supply fireworks all year round must apply to their local licensing authority for a licence to do so and must pay the appropriate fee. Details of the number of licences issued or withdrawn for non-compliance are not held centrally.
	We will continue to keep the regulations and their enforcement under review.

Fireworks: Injuries

Nigel Evans: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many people were injured by fireworks in each of the last 10 years.

Gareth Thomas: The Department estimates that around 1,000 people are injured by fireworks each year. This average is based on figures collected up to 2005 which we continue to use to inform our safety campaigns to target those most vulnerable to injury e.g. young children injured by sparklers.
	The injury figures up to 2005 are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005 906 
			 2004 1,135 
			 2003 976 
			 2002 918 
			 2001 1,239 
			 2000 897 
			 1999 961 
			 1998 711

New Businesses: Greater London

Paul Burstow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many new businesses were started in each London borough in 2007; how many of them received Government funding during that year; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The latest available figures for new businesses are for 2006 (based on businesses with turnover over 60,000 registering for VAT). The figure for each London borough was as follows:
	
		
			  VAT registrations in London and in each London borough, 2006 
			   Number of new businesses 
			 London Government Office Region 34,825 
			 Barking and Dagenham 370 
			 Barnet 1,490 
			 Bexley 560 
			 Brent 1,135 
			 Bromley 1,015 
			 Camden 1,925 
			 City of London 1,385 
			 Croydon 960 
			 Ealing 1,350 
			 Enfield 865 
			 Greenwich 600 
			 Hackney 990 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,000 
			 Haringey 790 
			 Harrow 835 
			 Havering 635 
			 Hillingdon 845 
			 Hounslow 900 
			 Islington 1,345 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,205 
			 Kingston upon Thames 585 
			 Lambeth 985 
			 Lewisham 635 
			 Merton 830 
			 Newham 620 
			 Redbridge 830 
			 Richmond upon Thames 1,000 
			 Southwark 1,090 
			 Sutton 525 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,180 
			 Waltham Forest 615 
			 Wandsworth 1,370 
			 Westminster 4,375 
		
	
	The Government support new businesses in the capital in the main through the London Development Agency (LDA). In 2007, the LDA provided support estimated at over 6.2 million to more than 1,500 new businesses in the form of direct finance, subsidised financial and other support or advice.

Oleg Deripaska

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on how many occasions  (a) officials and  (b) Ministers in his Department have had discussions on business enterprises with (i) Oleg Deripaska and (ii) Nathaniel Rothschild since 1 January 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 27 October 2008
	I am not aware of any occasions of  (a) officials or  (b) Ministers in BERR having had discussions on business enterprises with (i) Oleg Deripaska and (ii) Nathaniel Rothschild since 1 January 2007.

Retail Trade: Competition

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects the Competition Commission to publish its final report following its consultation on proposals to improve competition in the grocery market.

Gareth Thomas: The Competition Commission (CC) published its final report on the UK groceries sector on 30 April this year. As part of its follow up on proposals to establish an ombudsman, the CC is currently undertaking an informal consultation with interested parties. Written submissions were provided last month, and the CC is now arranging a series of meetings with interested parties. Subject to responses, the CC plans to publish for wider consultation a final order on the Groceries Supply Code of Practice and undertakings in relation to the ombudsman shortly.

Street Trading

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps the Government plan to take to address illegal street trading.

Gareth Thomas: Government have no plans at this time to make changes to the legislation governing street traders.
	Local authorities already have powers to designate which of their streets are prohibited to street trading, which require street trading licenses and which require consents. Unlawful trading is an offence punishable by a fine of up to 1,000, and a street trading licence may be revoked if its terms are breached. Some local authorities have also sought further powers to seize goods through private legislation.
	In addition, Trading Standards have existing and extensive powers to tackle trading in dangerous or counterfeit goods.
	However, Government are currently conducting a Review of Street Trading and Pedlary to see if further changes to the national legislative framework are needed. The Department has commissioned research from the University of Durham and this is due to conclude in November. We hope to be in a position to publish the final report and a Government statement on next steps early in the new year.

Street Trading: Licensing

Christopher Chope: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his estimate is of the number of valid pedlars' licences in England.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 4 November 2008
	The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	However, as the hon. Member will be aware, the Department is currently conducting a review of street trading and pedlary and has commissioned some research from Durham university. The researchers have made a rough estimate that between 3,000 and 4,500 certificates are issued each year in Great Britain. This estimate is extrapolated from a limited number of police command units that participated in the research. Therefore the numbers should be treated as best estimates only.

Trade: Madagascar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the monetary value of trade between the UK and Madagascar was in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: Data on recorded trade in goods with Madagascar are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   million 
			   UK exports of goods to Madagascar  UK imports of goods from Madagascar 
			 2003 16.6 6.0 
			 2004 15.5 9.3 
			 2005 15.5 6.6 
			 2006 25.8 4.2 
			 2007 32.2 7.2 
			  Source: HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics 
		
	
	Estimates of trade in services are not available for the full five years. ONS data published in the UK Balance of Payments Pink Book 2008 were:
	
		
			   million 
			   UK exports of services to Madagascar  UK imports of services from Madagascar 
			 2006 10 7 
			 2007 16 10

UK Trade and Investment: Marketing

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much UK Trade and Investment spent on branded golf balls in the last three years.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 3 November 2008
	In the last three years, UKTI has spent 12,030.50 on branded golf balls.

UK Trade and Investment: Public Appointments

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform who sits on the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation's  (a) Defence Advisory Group and  (b) Security Advisory Group; what companies or interests each represent; and how long their appointments last.

Gareth Thomas: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 293W.
	Sir Kevin Tebbit, chairman of Finmeccanica UK, has now been formally selected as chairman of the Defence Advisory Group and will serve for three years. The process to select a chairman of the Security Sector Advisory Group has begun. 13 members have been selected, on the basis of the expertise that they personally bring to speak with authority and experience of security exports, and they will serve for two years as do members of other UKTI advisory groups. Information on individual members of the security group is considered to be personal information, and is withheld for that reason.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House whether she plans to provide Government time on the Floor of the House to debate abortion during  (a) Session 2008-09 and  (b) Session 2009-10; what representations she has received on the matter since July 2008; and if she will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: Plans for debates will be announced throughout the Session by my right hon. and learned Friend the Leader of the House in the usual way. I understand the interest in this issue and I am aware that for many years the matter of abortion has been raised from the Back Benches.
	My right hon. and learned Friend has had no official meetings on this specific issue since July 2008.
	The Government have no plans to legislate.

Parliamentary Resources Unit

Francis Maude: To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann), of 13 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 846-47W, on the Parliamentary Resources Unit, how much has been paid to  (a) the Parliamentary Labour Party and  (b) Computing for Labour, through the Department of Resources and its predecessors in each year since 2003-04.

Chris Bryant: From November 2007 a total of 15,681.25 has been paid to the parliamentary Labour party from parliamentary allowances for the messaging service provided for Members by Vodafone:
	
		
			
			 2007-08 10,700.25 
			 2008-09 (to date) 4,981.00 
		
	
	The amounts paid to Computing for Labour as subscriptions for software that is used for responding to constituents' correspondence and other constituency casework for each year since 2003-04 are as follows:
	
		
			
			 2005-06 897,427 
			 2006-07 974,161 
			 2007-08 1,087,530 
			 2008-09 (to date) 743,412 
		
	
	Figures for 2003-04 and 2004-05 are not available.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

10 Downing Street: Catering

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the 10 Downing Street canteen has a policy on using genetically-modified (GM) foods; and whether GM ingredients are used by the canteen.

Kevin Brennan: The Cabinet Office supports the public sector food procurement initiative.

Airwave Service

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what organisations for which his Department is responsible  (a) use and  (b) are planning to use Airwave handsets.

Kevin Brennan: The Cabinet Office has a small quantity of Airwave radio terminals to aid with response/recovery from incidents and to liaise with other Airwave users within the UK.

Government Departments: Art Works

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library a copy of the report produced by Sotheby's on the valued art and antiques within the Whitehall estate.

Kevin Brennan: It is not the intention to place the Sotheby's report on valued art and antiques in the Library as this contains information which would be detrimental to the security of these valuable assets.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps the Cabinet Secretary takes to ensure that special advisers' access to premium services are cancelled when special advisers take leave from their employment to engage in party political activity.

Kevin Brennan: The rules on special advisers' involvement in political activities are set out in the 'Code of Conduct for Special Advisers'.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether special advisers in 10 Downing Street are part of the Downing Street Political Office.

Kevin Brennan: No. As has been the practice under successive Governments, staffing and associated costs for the Political Office are met from party funds.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 22 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 99-102WS, on special advisers, what the cost of  (a) national insurance employer contributions and  (b) expenses relating to special advisers was in 2007-08.

Kevin Brennan: National insurance employer contributions incurred on behalf of special advisers and costs of any expenses claimed by individual special advisers are not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Prime Minister: Location

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the estimated budget is for the move of the Prime Minister's operations from 10 Downing Street to 12 Downing Street.

Kevin Brennan: Figures for the financial year 2008-09 will be available after the end of the financial year, once the Cabinet Office accounts have been audited.

Written Questions

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library a copy of the Cabinet Office guidance on answering round robin parliamentary questions.

Kevin Brennan: In their response to the Third Report of Session 2003-04 from the Public Administration Select Committee, the Government made clear that while individual Departments may liaise with each other when they receive the same question, this co-ordination
	does not cut across the line of ministerial accountability which is that it is for individual Ministers to decide on the final content of an answer to a Parliamentary Question.
	The Cabinet Office provides advice to other Government Departments on this basis.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

British Energy

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he have made of the value of the Government's holdings in British Energy.

Mike O'Brien: In the context of EDF's proposed takeover of British Energy (BE), HMG have given an irrevocable commitment to sell its stake in BE at the cash offer price of 774p per share, which would raise 4.4 billion for the Nuclear Liabilities Fund. HMG consider the offer price to be value for money for its stake.

Centre for Alternative Technology

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will review the Government decision in respect of funding for the WISE project at the UK Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth.

Mike O'Brien: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Consumer Affairs to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Davies) on 22 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1976W.

Climate Change Bill

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will publish an updated regulatory impact assessment for the Climate Change Bill.

Joan Ruddock: An updated impact assessment for the Climate Change Bill will be published following Royal Assent, and will reflect the final content of the Bill.

Community Energy Saving Programme

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects the first householders to receive assistance from the Community Energy Saving Programme; what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on the programme in financial year 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 10 November 2008
	As the primary legislation for the Community Energy Savings Programme is still under consideration in the House it would be inappropriate to comment about possible commencement dates at this stage.
	The actual cost of the energy efficiency measures householders will receive will be borne by the electricity generators and suppliers, which we estimate will be around 350 million over the period of the programme.
	The departmental expenditure on this programme is in the form of staff costs, to cover both the setting up and management of the programme.

Departmental Liability

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on what dates his Department has informed the House of the creation of contingent liabilities relating to his Department or its non-departmental public bodies.

Mike O'Brien: The Secretary of State has not informed the House of any such liabilities since 3 October. As part of the separation of DECC from BERR and DEFRA, the Department will be considering what contingent liabilities may exist, and will reflect these in the resource accounts where appropriate.

Departmental Manpower

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the annual staffing cost of his Department.

Mike O'Brien: The annual staffing cost will be agreed once negotiations on the machinery of government changes with BERR, DEFRA and HMT are complete. The new Department (DECC) will consist of posts taken from the existing Departments for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and from Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (DEFRA). The detail is still being worked on, but the Department of Energy and Climate Change will comprise roughly 900 posts, approximately 500 from BERR and 400 from Defra.

Departmental Secondment

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which organisations employ the members of staff working in his Department who are seconded from outside the Civil Service; and how many employees are seconded from each.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 20 October 2008
	The Department for Energy and Climate Change was created on 3 October 2008 and as yet information on final staff numbers are not available and have not been agreed. This information can be released when formalised.

Electricity Generation

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the average cost of generating 2 MW of power by  (a) nuclear generation,  (b) coal-fired generation,  (c) gas-fired generation and  (d) wind generation.

Mike O'Brien: The generation cost of different technologies are measured in terms of levelised costs and are presented on a  per megawatt hour basis. The Government have carried out analysis on generation costs in some detail in recent years to inform policy decisions. These estimates have been published as part of the Energy Review (2006) and Nuclear White paper (2008). Latest updates to those estimates suggest the following costs associated with generating 1 MWh of electricity, assuming a 35/tCO2 price for carbon:
	
		
			   /MWh 
			 Gas fired generation 52 
			 Coalfired generation 51 
			 Nuclear generation 38 
			 Wind (onshore) 72 
			 Wind (offshore) 92 
		
	
	It should be noted that the estimates of levelised costs for different types of electricity generation are highly sensitive to the assumptions used for capital costs, fuel and EU ETS allowance prices, operating costs, load factor, and other drivers. The numbers quoted in the table represent levelised costs estimated as part of the Energy White Paper exercise, updated for fossil fuel prices used in the Government's analysis underpinning the Renewable Energy Strategy. In reality, there are large uncertainties and ranges around these figures.

Energy

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to publish the next Energy Markets Outlook.

Mike O'Brien: I hope to publish the next Energy Markets Outlook before the end of this year.

Energy Supply: Meters

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) electricity and  (b) gas customers who temporarily disconnected themselves from their supply to credit prepayment meters which had been installed because of arrears in the latest period for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 3 November 2008
	The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) monitors, and publishes information about, gas and electricity disconnections and the incidence of debt among customers. However, it is not possible for Ofgem or the Department to provide data about, or estimates of, self-disconnection by prepayment meter customers or self-restrictions on use of gas and electricity by credit customers. By its nature, this behaviour is very difficult to measure.

Energy Supply: Meters

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what evidence his Department has received on the economic case for the roll-out of smart meters to domestic properties; and on what basis the Government have made the assessment that the case is questionable.

Mike O'Brien: BERR held a consultation on energy billing and metering in August 2007:
	www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/energy/whitepaper/consultations/billing-metering/page40854.html
	Among other things, this sought views on the Government's expectation that smart meters would be provided to all business and domestic customers over the next decade. Around 100 responses were received from a wide variety of stakeholders. The responses can be viewed at:
	www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/energy/whitepaper/consultations/billingmetering/consultationresponses/page43790.html.
	BERR also commissioned an independent appraisal of the costs and benefits of smart meter options which is available at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file45997.pdf.
	In April 2008 the Government published its response to the consultation:
	www.berr.gov.uk/files/file45996.pdf
	together with a consultation impact assessment on roll-out of smart meters to all domestic consumers:
	www.berr.gov.uk/files/file45794.pdf
	The latter, in the case of central estimates, did not indicate a positive case for roll-out. However, there was considerable uncertainty about the costs and benefits, so the Government response invited views on the impact assessment and set out a programme of work leading to a decision point later in 2008. Throughout this period, BERR officials worked closely with stakeholders to develop the overall evidence base and commissioned two independent consultancy studies to review some of the numbers and assumptions in the April 2008 impact assessment.
	Although the detail of the impact assessment has not yet been finalised, work in progress suggests that, under central scenarios, there is now a positive, high level case for a domestic roll-out of smart meters. The Government therefore announced on 28 October 2008,  Official Report ,  House of Lords, column 1515, their plans to roll out smart meters to all domestic customers ,. The final impact assessment will be published soon.

Energy Supply: Meters

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 27 October 2008,  Official Report, column 731-4W on energy: metering, if he will publish the economic impact assessment to which reference is made.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 3 November 2008
	 The economic impact assessment referred to was published in April 2008 and is available at
	www.berr.gov.uk/files/file45794.pdf.
	Since the answer referred to in the question, the Government have announced their plans to roll out smart meters to all domestic customers28 October 2008,  Official Report, House of Lords, column 1515.

Energy: EC Action

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent meetings Ministers and officials from his Department have had with the Government of the Czech Republic to discuss the energy and climate change priorities of the Czech presidency of the European Union.

Mike O'Brien: None.

Energy: Prices

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to regulate the price cost ratios operated by fuel and energy suppliers.

Mike O'Brien: Where possible, effective competition rather than price regulation is the preferred way to ensure a fair deal for consumers.
	The preliminary findings of Ofgem's recent investigation into the gas and electricity supply markets concluded that these markets are competitive, although it did identify some groups of consumers that are not receiving the full benefits of competition. Ofgem is currently consulting on actions needed to ensure that all UK consumers benefit fully from competitive energy markets.
	The Office of Fair Trading monitors fuel markets and its previous investigations into the supply of petrol and diesel have concluded that these markets are competitive. Indeed, current competition among supermarkets has contributed to a fall in the average price of unleaded by more than 8p/l in just two weeks. Where the OFT has identified issues that could restrict competition, such as in the market for bulk domestic liquefied petroleum gas, it has sought to remove them.

Fuel Poverty

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much has been spent to raise awareness of fuel poverty in  (a) Lancashire and  (b) the UK in each of the last three years.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 10 September 2008
	Owing to the diverse and multifaceted approach taken in raising awareness of fuel poverty, it is not possible to provide accurate figures of the type requested.
	While we do not have figures which reflect the total spend on raising fuel poverty awareness, since 2000, the Government have spent 20 billion on fuel poverty benefits and programmes. Action to raise awareness of fuel poverty has been carried out by a range of Government Departments, co-ordinated by DECC and its predecessor Departments through a variety of media. This includes the cross-government Keep Warm Keep Well campaign providing vulnerable people with information on the health benefits of keeping warm in winter.
	Alongside the work of these Departments, awareness of fuel poverty is raised through delivery agencies and local partnerships working alongside Eaga plc. (who manage the Warm Front Scheme), local authorities, energy suppliers and National Energy Action, the fuel poverty charity and its subsidiary company Warm Zones Ltd.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much Eaga made from charging installers of energy saving equipment which was purchased using Warm Front vouchers in each of the last five years.

Joan Ruddock: The 300 rebate scheme began in 2006. Eaga plc met the costs relating to the development and introduction of this initiative. For each voucher redeemed, the Department agreed that Eaga would receive a 42.55 administration fee. This fee is paid for by each installer registered on the scheme and contributes to ongoing administration, IT and management costs. The following table illustrates the number of vouchers redeemed, by the scheme year and the totalled administration fees recovered, since this time.
	
		
			  Scheme year  Redeemed vouchers  Recovered admin fee () 
			 2006-07 1,977 84,121.35 
			 2007-08 64,702 2,753,070.10 
			 2008-09 46,531 1,979,894.05 
			 Total 113,210 4,817,085.50 
		
	
	It is important to note that, once a contractor is registered on the 300 scheme, they benefit from a Government backed administrative process guaranteeing promotion of their services. This improves their respectability, reduces advertising costs and guarantees work they would not necessarily have otherwise received.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether Eaga is permitted to sell Carbon Emissions Reduction Target credits to energy companies in cases where those credits arise from Warm Front grant-aided energy saving installations.

Joan Ruddock: Yes, Eaga is permitted to sell carbon credits derived from measures undertaken through the Warm Front scheme. Funding generated through this process supplements the Warm Front budget.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

James Plaskitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average cost was of work carried out by Warm Front contractors for households who secured a Warm Front grant in the latest year for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: Between 1 April 2007 and 30 March 2008 the Warm Front scheme assisted 268,900 households. The average grant spend over this period was 1,301.60.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

James Plaskitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change by what criteria his Department decides which companies and suppliers can contract with Warm Front.

Joan Ruddock: Eaga, the Warm Front scheme manager, is obliged, under the contract held with DECC, to comply with EU procurement regulations for all contracted works. The regulations mandate that offers to tender are placed in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).
	Installers interested in working on the Warm Front scheme must enter a competitive tender process. Fundamental to the process are an interrogation of installer policy, financial standing, compliance with instructions and professional qualification. Policies interrogated include:
	Health and safety
	Quality assurance
	Customer care
	Value for money
	Training
	Sustainability and corporate social responsibility
	Environmental and waste reduction
	Qualification to professionally recognised standards, i.e. Corgi, NICEIC, BBA, etc dependant on measure(s) bid for.
	Eaga is currently undertaking the above tender process for installers to commence working on the scheme in June 2009.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

James Plaskitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the administration costs of the Warm Front scheme have been in each year of its operation.

Joan Ruddock: The following table illustrates the administration costs and relative percentage of total funding in delivering the Warm Front Scheme under Eaga's management.
	
		
			   Administration cost 
			  Scheme year   million  Percentage of total budge t 
			 2005-06 18.1 10 
			 2006-07 28.6 9 
			 2007-08 31.5 9 
		
	
	Prior to 2005, the scheme was administered by two agencies (Powergen and Eaga), as such, the total cost figures for this period are unavailable.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much has been spent on grants under the Warm Front scheme in Bexley since its introduction.

Joan Ruddock: Between 1 June 2000 and 31 October 2008 1,992,735.43 was spent on works undertaken through the Warm Front scheme in the London borough of Bexley.
	Eaga plc continue to provide regular updates of Warm Front activity through secure constituency websites which MPs may access at any time.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme: West Midlands

James Plaskitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) Warwick and Leamington constituency received a grant through Warm Front in the latest year for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: Between 1 April 2007 and 30 March 2008 the Warm Front scheme assisted 36,530 households in the West Midlands. Over the same period 287 households were assisted in the constituency of Warwick and Leamington.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme: West Midlands

James Plaskitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much was provided in Warm Front grants in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) Warwick and Leamington constituency in the latest year for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: Between 1 April 2007 and 30 March 2008, 59,045,105.49 was spent on delivering energy efficiency measures to households through the Warm Front Scheme in the West Midlands. Over the same period, 393,471.65 was spent on delivering measures to households in the constituency of Warwick and Leamington.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme: West Midlands

James Plaskitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many suppliers in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) Warwick and Leamington constituency had contracts with Warm Front in the last 12 months.

Joan Ruddock: DEFRA secured national contracts with the Grahams Group and Plumb Centre to provide heating hardware for the Warm Front scheme. Integral to this process was quality of service, quality of hardware and value for money. All insulation material is secured privately by installers registered on the scheme.
	In the Midlands, the Grahams Group has distribution depots in Coventry, Wolverhampton and Newcastle-under-Lyme. Plumb Centre's head office is in Leamington Spa and in the Midlands distribution centres are located in Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sutton Coldfield, Smethwick, Cannock and Solihull.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme: West Midlands

James Plaskitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change in what proportion of cases the Warm Front grant did not meet the full cost of work carried out which qualified for a Warm Front grant in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) Warwick and Leamington constituency in the latest year for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: The following table illustrates the number and proportion of households assisted by the Warm Front scheme in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) Warwick and Leamington constituency where the required works exceeded the grant maxima and a contribution was requested, in the period 1 April 2007 to 30 March 2008.
	
		
			   West Midlands  Constituency of Warwick and Leamington 
			 Assisted households 36,530 287 
			 Households requested to contribute to the cost of works 11,412 74 
			 Proportion of contribution requests 0.31 0.26

Insulation: Grants

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many pensioner households in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire have received grants or other assistance to improve their home insulation in each year since 1996-97; and how much public funding was spent on such grants in each such year.

Joan Ruddock: The following tables illustrate the number of pensioner households receiving insulation measures through the Warm Front Scheme and associated costs in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire by scheme year from 2005-06 onwards. We do not hold figures for measures prior to this period.
	
		
			  Hemel Hempstead 
			 Number 
			 2005-06 4,784.58 12 
			 2006-07 17,019.33 47 
			 2007-08 31,651.92 75 
			 2008-09 31,887.86 80 
			 Total 85,343.69 214 
		
	
	
		
			  Hertfordshire 
			 Number 
			 2005-06 90,956.38 237 
			 2006-07 254,975.73 656 
			 2007-08 258,598.37 653 
			 2008-09 162,671.91 409 
			 Total 767,202.39 1,955 
		
	
	Since 2002, pensioners in Great Britain have also benefited from subsidised and free insulation measures, including loft and cavity wall insulation, under the supplier-funded Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC). During the period 2002 to 2008, 5 million households received insulation measures through the EEC. Suppliers were required to focus 50 per cent. of their efforts on a priority group of vulnerable and low-income households, including pensioners on qualifying benefits. However, suppliers were not required to provide a precise break-down of the types of households within the priority group that received assistance, or geographical information as to where measures were installed.
	The current phase of the EEC, now known as the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, operated in similar terms to the EEC. However, supplier activity levels are more than double that of EEC and will benefit some 6 million households by 2011. 40 per cent. of these will be from the priority group, which now includes all pensioners over 70.

Insulation: Grants

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many pensioner households in York have received grants or other assistance to improve their home insulation in each year since 1996-97; and how much public money was spent on this in each such year.

Joan Ruddock: The following table illustrates the number of pensioner households assisted by the Warm Front Scheme in the City of York and Vale of York constituencies between 1 June 2005 and 30 September 2008. (Prior to this period the scheme was administered by a different agency and the data held by the current administrator are not sufficient to provide an accurate response to the question.)
	
		
			  Scheme year  Number of pensioner households assisted  Associate cost () 
			 2005-06 261 181,193 
			 2006-07 684 625,807 
			 2007-08 747 898,336 
			 2008-09 (to date) 279 545,445 
			 Total 1,971 2,250,781 
		
	
	Since 2002, pensioners in Great Britain have also benefited from subsidised and free insulation measures, including loft and cavity wall insulation, under the supplier-funded Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC). During the period 2002 to 2008, 5 million households received insulation measures through the EEC. Suppliers were required to focus 50 per cent. of their efforts on a priority group of vulnerable and low-income households, including pensioners on qualifying benefits. However, suppliers were not required to provide a precise break-down of the types of households within the priority group that receive assistance, or geographical information as to where measures were installed.
	The current phase of the Energy Efficiency Commitment, now known as the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, operates in similar terms to the EEC. However, supplier activity levels are more than double that of the EEC and will benefit some 6 million households by 2011. 40 per cent. of these will be from the priority group, which how includes all pensioners over 70.

Insulation: Grants

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has held on the establishment of grant schemes to assist low income owner occupiers to insulate older properties without cavity walls.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 6 November 2008
	Warm Front, which is the Government's main scheme for the eradication of fuel poverty, is always seeking to asses and incorporate new technologies which can improve the energy efficiency of vulnerable households. Those homes without cavity walls present a typical case of hard to treat properties, not least because the present alternative forms of insulation available are prohibitively expensive to deliver. My Department continues to work with stakeholders to ensure that all viable options are considered and incorporated into the scheme where appropriate.

Natural Gas

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of UK gas demand will be met by imported natural gas in 2008.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 6 November 2008
	Net UK import dependence of gas for the year to August 2008 (defined as total imports as a proportion of gas output from the National Transmission System) was 27 per cent. The Department's latest oil and gas production projectionsavailable online at:
	https://www.og.berr.gov.uk/mformation/bb_updates/chapters/Section4_17.htm
	suggest 26 per cent. net gas import dependence for the UK in 2008 as a whole.

Nuclear Power: Decommissioning

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what provision he has made for the costs of  (a) decommissioning and  (b) future nuclear power stations; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Government are committed to meeting the costs of decommissioning the existing civil nuclear legacy sites by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). This is funded through a mixture of grant in aid and the NDA's commercial income. Over time the contribution from commercial income will decline as the NDA's operational units enter their decommissioning phase. The discounted lifetime cost of delivering the NDA's decommissioning and clean up programme, which is expected to take over 100 years to complete, is estimated at 40.7 billion. With regard to the costs of future nuclear power stations, it will be for energy companies to fund, develop and build new nuclear power stations in the UK, including meeting the full costs of decommissioning.

Nuclear Power: Northern Ireland

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what  (a) meetings and  (b) discussions he and his predecessor with responsibility for nuclear energy has had with the Minister for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in the Northern Ireland Executive on the implications for electricity consumers in Northern Ireland of the Government's decision on the future of nuclear generation in Great Britain in the last 12 months; and what correspondence has been undertaken between his officials and those of his predecessor department and officials in the Northern Ireland Executive on the matter over that period.

Mike O'Brien: None, but officials in the Department have been in regular touch with officials in the Northern Ireland Executive on matters relating to new nuclear including on the justification process, the strategic siting assessment process and criteria and the Energy Bill.

Plutonium

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions Ministers or officials from his Department, or its predecessors, have had with officials from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on the development of plutonium management and security policies since 2006.

Mike O'Brien: Officials have an ongoing dialogue with the NDA on the development of plutonium management strategies.

Plutonium

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to meet the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to discuss the next steps in the plutonium management strategy.

Mike O'Brien: A date is not fixed yet but I hope to meet with the NDA in the coming weeks. However my officials are working closely with it on this matter.

Renewable Energy

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made towards the Government's target of generating 10 per cent. of electricity supply from renewable energy sources by 2010; and what percentage of electricity supply generated from renewable sources in the latest period for which information is available.

Mike O'Brien: In 2000, the Government set a target for 10 per cent. of UK electricity capacity from renewable sources by 2010. In order to meet our 10 per cent. renewable electricity target, we estimate that we would need to generate just over 40 TWh of renewable electricity by 31 December 2010. Current estimates show that we potentially have over 45 TWh of renewable generation that is already operational, is under construction or is consented and awaiting construction.
	According to the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES) 2008, renewables provided 5.0 per cent. of UK electricity generation at the end of 2007 (4.9 per cent. from Renewables Obligation (RO) eligible sources). Since the introduction of the RO in 2002, renewable electricity generation capacity has almost tripled (2.2 per cent. in 2002 compared with 4.9 per cent. in 2007). Further information on the generation of electricity from renewable sources can be found in chapter 7 of DUKES 2008:
	http://stats.berr.gov.uk/energystats/dukes08_c7.pdf

Renewable Energy: Finance

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with renewable energy developers on the level of private capital investment for renewable energy; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Department has regular discussions with both the investor community and renewable energy developers on financing of renewable energy projects in the UK.
	The Government are working to create the right business environment for investment in renewable energy. We recognise that investment in energy infrastructure requires significant capital investment and a supportive regulatory framework. Investments in renewable energy projects are long-term, and we believe the costs are manageable and spread over time, with the biggest costs in the run up to 2020 and beyond. We have committed to a comprehensive package of reforms to speed up renewables deployment in the UK and provide a stable long term climate for investment in renewables.
	Despite the current economic climate, the UK remains a good place to invest in green energy. Many key projects are still planning to go aheadfor example, last month's announcement that Masdar will invest in the 1,000 megawatt (MW) London Array offshore wind farm. When built, this should be able to supply 1 per cent. of the UK's electricity needs. This month, RWE Innogy has announced that it has acquired a 50 per cent. share of the 500 MW Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm.
	Also this month, as announced during the Prime Minister's trip to the Gulf, a new 250 million UK-Qatar Clean Technology Investment Fund will be set up to develop and deploy low carbon energy and technology. This will boost venture capital funding for early-stage UK low carbon companies and technologies and help address our climate change objectives.

River Severn: Tidal Power

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the next  (a) parliamentary and  (b) regional forums on the River Severn tidal energy project will be held.

Mike O'Brien: The next parliamentary forum will be held on 1 December 2008 at 3pm in London at the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, 1 Victoria Street Conference Centre. The next regional forum is being held on 2 December 2008 in either Newport or Cardiff.
	It is intended that both forums be co-chaired by myself and Jane Davidson, Welsh Assembly Government Ministers for the Environment, Sustainability and Housing.

Sellafield

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the proposal to indemnify the new parent body organisation to manage the Sellafield Site Licence Company against uninsurable liability claims was considered by the European Commission under state aid rules prior to finalising the agreement with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Mike O'Brien: We are not aware of any such consideration by the European Commission.

Sellafield

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 76W, on Sellafield, on what dates between 14 July and 6 October 2008 Ministers or officials of his Department met officials of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to discuss the indemnification of the successful bidder for the Parent Body Organisation chosen to manage Sellafield; if he will place minutes of all such meetings in the Library; and what meetings his Department and its predecessor have had with the European Commission on the compliance with state aid rules of the Government accepting an indemnification for Sellafield.

Mike O'Brien: There were no meetings between 14 July and 6 October 2008 between the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Ministers or officials of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform about the indemnity for the successful bidder for the Sellafield Parent Body Organisation.
	There have been no meetings with the European Commission on this issue. As a normal commercial arrangement involving no subsidy for the new Parent Body Organisation, the proposed indemnity does not raise any State aid concerns.

Solar Power

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the UK's capacity to build integrated solar photovoltaics; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Department has committed over 41 million to support the photovoltaic industry since 2000 through the Major Demonstration PV programme and field trials. The photovoltaic industry currently benefits from the 86 million Low Carbon Buildings programme and electricity generated is also eligible for support under the Renewables Obligation (RO). In addition, there are wider measures supporting development of Solar PV including grants for RD through the Technology Programme and the Microgeneration Certification Scheme which sets out product and installation standards for solar PV at the smaller scale. As a result of these programmes and wider measures the UK Solar PV industry has developed strengths in the design and manufacture of building integrated products.
	We recently announced that we will implement a feed-in tariff for small-scale generation up to 3 MW alongside the Renewables Obligation for large-scale projects.

Solar Power

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to increase levels of investment in UK solar photovoltaic manufacturing.

Mike O'Brien: As part of the Manufacturing Strategy the Government announced their intention to create an Office of Renewable Energy Deployment. This Office will help deliver the necessary step-change in the deployment of renewable energy in the UK to meet the 2020 target. It will provide a one-stop shop for dealing with the range of delivery issues, including supply chain, planning, grid and other matters, across the range of deployable renewable energy technologies. It will also help to raise the domestic and global profile of manufacturing companies in the supply chain and identify potential opportunities working with the Manufacturing Advisory Service.
	The Manufacturing Strategy contained other measures which include plans for the Government to work with the CBI and others to develop a Low Carbon Showcase to promote low carbon products to a global marketplace. The Government will come forward in 2009 with a Low Carbon Industrial Strategy that will look at how business can adapt and make the most from the growth in the low carbon economy and what the Government's role should be.

Warm Front Scheme

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the total value of grants made under  (a) the Warm Front and  (b) the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme was in each of the last five years.

Joan Ruddock: The Warm Front spend since the scheme's inception in 2000 is outlined as follows:
	
		
			  Scheme year  Approximate total spend/budget ( million) 
			 2000-01 72 
			 2001-02 197 
			 2002-03 163 
			 2003-04 164 
			 2004-05 166 
			 2005-06 192 
			 2006-07 320 
			 2007-08 350 
		
	
	Fuel poverty is now a devolved issue and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) does not hold the appropriate data for the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme in Wales (HEES Wales).

Warm Front Scheme

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many  (a) applications for grants and  (b) grants were made under (i) the Warm Front and (ii) the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme there have been in each of the last five years.

Joan Ruddock: The following table illustrates, by scheme year,  (a) the number of applications made to the Warm Front Scheme from households both eligible and not eligible for assistance, and  (b) the number of households assisted in each year, since 2003-04.
	
		
			  Warm Front Scheme (England all) 
			  Scheme year  Total applications made  Total households assisted 
			 2003-04 (1)182,852 188,974 
			 2004-05 (1)199,423 208,084 
			 2005-06 221,259 173,184 
			 2006-07 355,987 253,079 
			 2007-08 390,621 268,900 
			 (1) Figures do not include those applications made in the Eastern region where the scheme was being delivered by Powergen. 
		
	
	Fuel poverty is now a devolved issue and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) does not hold the appropriate data for the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme in Wales (HEES Wales).